Goran Tomić Takes Charge of Bahraini Runners-Up
Tomić (49) is the new head coach of Al-Khaldiya, a club that finished last season in second place, just one point behind the champions. Croatian striker Domagoj Drožđek has also joined him in Bahrain.
Tomić (49) is the new head coach of Al-Khaldiya, a club that finished last season in second place, just one point behind the champions. Croatian striker Domagoj Drožđek has also joined him in Bahrain.
Croatian football coach Goran Tomić (49) has a new job. He has taken over the helm at Bahraini club Al-Khaldiya, the country's current runners-up and participants in the second tier of the AFC Champions League. The news was officially confirmed by his new club on August 4, 2026.
Al-Khaldiya finished last season in second place in the Bahraini league, just one point behind champions Al-Muharraq. The team's value, according to Transfermarkt, is €2.9 million. In the second tier of the AFC Champions League, they were eliminated in the group stage last season.
"The man who will lead us in new challenges has arrived," the club announced on social media, heralding the arrival of the Croatian expert. The new league season in Bahrain begins at the end of August 2026, and Tomić has already joined the team for pre-season preparations in Turkey.
As a player, Tomić was a striker, representing clubs including Šibenik, Vicenza, AEK, Reggina, FC Salzburg, Lierse, and Henan Construction. He began his coaching career in 2011 at Šibenik, and subsequently managed Chinese clubs Beijing Baxy, Tianjin Songjiang, and Zhejiang Yiteng, followed by Croatian clubs Istra 1961 (in two spells), Lokomotiva, and Rijeka, as well as Middle Eastern clubs Al Nasr and Al Bataeh.
Another Croatian has joined the club alongside Tomić. Five days ago, Al-Khaldiya unveiled Domagoj Drožđek, a former striker for Varaždin and Lokomotiva, who arrived in Bahrain as a free agent from Iranian club Tractor.
