Ex-Bayern ace escapes from hell

Once a player for Bayern, one of the biggest clubs in the world and a full international with Croatia, Danijel Pranjic has all the tools to become a successful coach. He’s learned from the best, he has a wealth of experience and a burning desire to prove himself in management. However, his first job was a hellish one. So much so, that he quit and left his post with entire village turned against him.

Cypriot second-division club AC Omonia Psevda announced on Thursday that they’ve unfortunately parted ways with their highly professional and dedicated Croatian head coach Danijel Pranjic. The club statement cited the financial problems caused by the ongoing pandemic as the prime reason for the decision, with the team’s league position also poor.

But the club statement only offers a small portion of the story. Speaking to Greek newspaper Gazzeta, Pranjic lifted the lid on his ill-fated tenure in Cyprus.

"I think I’ll be writing a book about my time in Psevda. Simply put, I was misled from the start. None of the promises made to me were kept by the club’s owners. Things were going okay in the first half of the season, but then the money ran out and problems started to pile up."

The club couldn’t pay the wages to the players and the staff and many of the youngsters playing for Omonia were left potless and without a place to stay. Coach Pranjic saw it as his responsibility to help out his team.

"A few of the players were evicted from their flats because they couldn’t afford to pay the rent. So I took them in my house, cooked meals for them and gave them spending money so they could afford some basic things in life. They didn’t have enough money to buy a cup of coffee! I was owed money too but I chose not to complain because I believed the players were the priority and that they should be paid first. But the money never came for anyone!"

Money problems weren’t the only reason the season started to unravel for the Psevda team. According to Pranjic, the club’s owners had their relatives among the playing staff and those players expected to be given automatic starting eleven berths. Pranjic said no.

"It was unacceptable. The players weren’t getting paid, I wasn’t being backed by the owners, and on top of it all – they tried to pick my team for me. It’s become unbearable and I asked to talk to the owners. They should have protected those young men who play for the club. The players were struggling to make ends meet and understandably could not focus on football. It wasn’t fair on anyone. The club president and I had a big argument and I ended up telling him everything I had to say. That was it – I’ve had to leave."

Pranjic played for Bayern from 2009 to 2012 (©AFP)

Omonia players were disappointed with their president and even threatened to go on strike should the club let Pranjic go. There were even tears.

"The players understand why I had to go. After everything, I’m proud of the way I did my job but it didn’t matter much because the owners know nothing about football and don’t even want to learn. Seven players decided to leave the club when I left. Nobody should blame them. They want to play football and make a living by doing so. They didn’t deserve to be treated that way."

After a stellar playing career at the big stage, Danijel Pranjic saw how football can turn to hell in a few short months. He is now without a job but he still wants to make it as coach after escaping from his Cypriot hell.

Oh, and guess what? Pranjic wasn’t paid by the club either.