Baric weary of Croatia burden

By Elvir Islamovic

Otto Baric has announced that he will stand down as Croatia coach after the UEFA EURO 2004™ finals.

'Not interested'
Baric, whose contract is due to expire on 31 July, said that negative comments in the press had persuaded him to leave the post. "I am not interested in this job any more - after our mission in Portugal, it's over," he said.

Press criticism
"I am surrounded by strangers full of criticism, although I am not sure if they are capable of doing my job," he added. "I am not against critics provided they have a reason for their actions. We are in Portugal, we are playing at EURO 2004™, but nothing is OK [for them] - there is no satisfaction and happiness, there is no real support."

Final project
Former Austria coach Baric took over from Mirko Jozic in July 2002 after Croatia had failed to reach the knockout stages at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. However, while the 70-year-old may have tired of his critics, he is still looking forward to leading his side in Portugal this summer.

'Good news'
"There is some good news," he said. "Most of the players are calling me and we are arranging everything for the beginning of our final preparations. We know what we need to improve. Aside from all the problems, I am looking forward to the challenge of EURO 2004™."

'We can't comment'
Croatian Football Federation general secretary Zorislav Srebric was unsure about Baric's future, saying: "We can't comment on Baric's quotes, but there is enough time to talk about his contract, which expires on 31 July. We are now focused on EURO 2004™ and everything will go as planned."