Fabio Cannavaro is no longer the head coach of Dinamo Zagreb and will not be on the bench for the team’s upcoming match against Osijek in Round 29 of the SuperSport HNL. His departure comes as a surprise, especially following comments from club president Velimir Zajec just yesterday, who had stated Cannavaro would remain in charge for the Osijek game.
Dinamo Parts Ways with Third Coach This Season
Cannavaro was dismissed after less than three and a half months at the helm, making him the third Dinamo coach to be sacked this season. The 2024/25 campaign began with Sergej Jakirović, who was replaced in September by Nenad Bjelica. Cannavaro took over on December 29, 2024, signing a contract that was set to run until the summer of 2026. Reports suggest Cannavaro’s annual salary at Dinamo was €1.5 million, with his coaching staff earning an additional €500,000 per year.
The decisive blow came with Dinamo’s 3–0 defeat away to Istra in the 28th round of the SuperSport HNL. With just eight matches remaining in the season, the defending champions now trail league leaders Hajduk by eight points.
Failing to defend the title likely means Dinamo will miss out on Champions League football next season — a significant financial setback. The club’s official budget for the year is €67 million, with around €24 million expected from UEFA competitions. Without Champions League participation, revenues will be considerably lower.
Cannavaro also oversaw Dinamo’s early exit from the SuperSport Croatian Football Cup, another competition the club had won last season. In this year’s quarterfinals, Dinamo was eliminated by Osijek at Maksimir and under poor weather conditions.
The only area where Cannavaro didn’t completely falter was in the Champions League. While Dinamo suffered a 3–0 loss away to Arsenal, they managed a surprise 2–1 home win against Milan — a result that brought them close to advancing from the group stage.
Cannavaro, a former Ballon d’Or winner, has had a mixed coaching career. Before joining Dinamo, he led Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin Quanjian, the Chinese national team, Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, and Italian sides Benevento and Udinese.
In 14 matches in charge of Dinamo, Cannavaro recorded seven wins but suffered five defeats. He was brought in to close the gap between Dinamo and top-of-the-table rivals Hajduk and Rijeka, but instead, the deficit grew during his tenure.
In ten league matches under Cannavaro, Dinamo managed just five wins and conceded 14 goals. During his time in charge, only Lokomotiva and Osijek conceded more goals in the Croatian top flight than Dinamo — a concerning statistic for a club of their stature.
