Dario Srna Appointed as the New Head Coach for Shakhtar Donetsk
Kiev, October 20 - Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukrainian football club, announced today the appointment of their former player, Croatian defender Dario Srna, as the head coach of the first-team, succeeding Dutchman Patrick van Leeuwen, who was relieved of his duties.
In an official statement on their website, the Ukrainian club confirmed that Dario Srna would take charge of the team in the upcoming phase. This decision was made after the club terminated its contract with the Dutch coach van Leeuwen in an effort to address the team's technical aspects and assist the players in performing well in the UEFA Champions League.
Dario Srna, who is 41 years old, previously played for Hajduk Split in Croatia and Cagliari in Italy. He also served as an assistant coach for Shakhtar Donetsk between 2019 and 2020.
The new coach Srna's duties will begin next Wednesday when Shakhtar faces the Spanish club Barcelona in the third round of the UEFA Champions League.
In their current UEFA Champions League group, the Ukrainian club occupies the third position with 3 points, having played two matches, and shares this position with Portugal's Porto. They are 3 points behind the group leaders, Barcelona. In the domestic league, Shakhtar Donetsk is currently in third place, trailing the leader, Krivbas, by just two points, albeit having played fewer matches.