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Former Churchill Brothers’ coach, Zoran Djordjevic has signed up as the head coach of the national team of South Sudan, FIFA’s 209th and newest member. The Serbian national, who guided the Goan club to the I-League title in 2008-09, signed a contract with the South Sudan Football Association two days ago in Juba, his son Mirko revealed to this writer via email.
After leaving Churchill Brothers, Djordjevic was associated with the national team of Bangaldesh, Al-Majd Damascus and the Philippines under-23 side earlier this year before taking up his current assignment.
South Sudan will play their first ever official friendly match against Uganda on July 10. Incidentally, Djordjevic will have at his service a player with a Goan connection in lanky striker James Moga who has just left Sporting Clube de Goa to ink a new deal with Pune FC for the new season.
Djordjevic coaxed 26 goals out of temperamental Nigerian striker Odafa Onyeka Okolie while winning India’s premier division four years ago. It remains to be seen if he can spur Moga on to similar productive feats with his national team as the Khartoum-bred striker netted 15 goals in 19 I-League appearances for Sporting Clube last season.
Many foreign coaches, who have occupied the hot seat at Indian clubs, have been national coaches either before and/or after their stints here. Some prominent examples are Danny McLennan (Iran, Iraq, Bahrain etc-Churchill Brothers), Manuel Gomes (Angola, Maldives-Churchill Brothers), Karim Bencherifa (Brunei-Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar), David Booth (Brunei, Myanmar, Laos-Mahindra United, Mumbai FC) etc.
