After a months-long hiatus, Joško Jeličić has resurfaced with a photo from Livno. He poses with former Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić and legends Blaž Slišković and Igor Štimac, revealing where Dalić is before heading to a lucrative job.
Former Croatian international and recent MAXSport pundit Joško Jeličić has broken his months-long media silence. He did so on Sunday with an Instagram post that reveals Zlatko Dalić's whereabouts, just a day after news broke that the former 'Vatreni' coach is set to take on a lucrative role in the United Arab Emirates.
Jeličić, who had not posted on the social network since the second half of March, shared a photo taken in Livno. In it, he is joined by former Croatia coach Dalić and two football legends, Blaž Slišković and Igor Štimac. As he explained in the caption, the gathering took place at Zlatko Dalić's football camp, located right in Livno, the former coach's hometown.
The photo was posted amid news of Dalić's new job. According to reports in the media, the former Croatia strategist will become the new head coach of the UAE national team. The position comes with exceptionally lucrative financial terms, an annual salary of five million euros is mentioned, which would make Dalić the highest-paid Croatian coach in history. He is expected to travel to the UAE soon to take up his new duties.
Unlike Dalić, Jeličić's professional path over the past few months has been marked by turbulence. His stint at MAXSport was cut short in February, during last season, after it became public that USKOK had filed an indictment against him. He is charged with perjury in the 'Dinamo 2' affair, in which Zdravko Mamić is the primary defendant for financially damaging the Zagreb club. The trial is taking place in Osijek.
Croatian Telecom, the owner of MAXSport, announced in February that it was ending its collaboration with the controversial commentator. The indictment itself was confirmed a bit later, in April. Jeličić bid farewell to his role with an emotional Instagram post in the second half of March, sharing a photo with colleague Valentina Miletić, taken at Poljud during coverage of a Hajduk match.
At the time, he wrote a series of strong messages. "When you lack arguments, you attack the messenger. Old school. The chronology is actually simple: You say what you think → someone 'distances themselves' → someone feels targeted → institutions suddenly remember old sins → the same day you disappear from the screen," Jeličić said, adding that the messenger is only dangerous when they carry a message that hurts.
"If the price of honesty is getting fired, then I was clearly doing something right. If the past gets activated just when I speak up, then I hit the mark. If everyone is defending themselves, it means the ball went into the net."
In his farewell, he thanked everyone for their support and specifically highlighted colleague Valentina Miletić and Ivica Vrgoč, announcing a quick return. "See you soon..." Jeličić concluded at the time, and now he has spoken out again, this time in a much more relaxed tone, sharing a moment from Livno with three giants of Croatian football.
