Cannavaro Dismissed by Croatian Champions Dinamo Zagreb After Only 14 Matches

Former Italy captain and World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro was dismissed from his role as coach of Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, barely three months after his appointment, as confirmed by the Croatian champions.

Cannavaro, who famously steered Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup and secured that year’s Ballon d’Or, took the helm at Dinamo in late December.

“Cannavaro is no longer the head coach of Dinamo’s first team,” the club announced in a statement.

In his short tenure at the helm, Cannavaro became the third coach for the Blue Ones this season, overseeing 14 matches, including 10 in the Croatian top-flight.

During his spell, he guided Dinamo to five wins, two draws, and three losses in the league, leaving them in third position on the table.

Currently, Dinamo trails league leaders Hajduk Split by eight points, with just eight matches left to play.

Recent media reports indicate that the decisive factor for the club’s decision was the 3-0 loss to Istra 1961 over the weekend, which added to the mounting dissatisfaction with Cannavaro’s performance.

Despite this, Dinamo acknowledged Cannavaro’s achievement of a notable 2-1 victory against AC Milan in the group stage of the Champions League earlier in the season, although that success was insufficient for the Croatian side to progress to the knockout rounds.

Current assistant coach Sandro Perkovic will step in as the new head coach for Dinamo.

Prior to his time with the Croatian club, the 51-year-old Cannavaro had been managing Udinese in Serie A.

His coaching career also includes stints in the Middle East and China, as well as a brief tenure with the Chinese national team in 2019.