Belgrade, December 23 (uefa.com) - FK Partizan today named Lothar Matthäus as their new coach after the former German international agreed an 18-month contract.
Matthäus, 41, has been given a target of taking the Yugoslavian team into next season's UEFA Champions League. He replaces Ljubisa Tumbakovic, the most successful coach in the country's history and a man who led Partizan for a decade. Tumbakovic, who won the league six times and the cup on three occasions, decided to stand down earlier this month.
"This is a real revolution and the most important thing in Yugoslav football since 1945," said Partizan's general secretary Zarko Zecevic. Matthäus, who earned 150 caps for Germany and captained them to 1990 FIFA World Cup glory, has been without a club since being sacked by SK Rapid Wien after a disappointing season in May.
Despite that setback to his fledgling coaching career, Matthäus is determined to be a success in the Prva Savezna Liga. "All my hopes are to be successful with Partizan, in domestic competitions and also in European competitions," he said, admitting that he did not know much about his squad of players aside from their reputation for good football and youthfulness.
He added that the immediate task after the winter break was to clinch the championship. With 17 games played, Partizan are nine points clear of FK Zeleznik. "After that, we will think about the Champions League, which is my and the club's priority," he said. "From June 2003 we will put together a strong team to try and play in the best continental competition."
