Croatia Looks to Replace National Coach Quickly

Croatia will replace Otto Baric as national coach next week after the team's early exit from Euro 2004 after Baric indicated he would not stay on because of "unfair treatment" in the local media. "Top soccer officials, including the FA president, tried to persuade me to stay, but I do not want to carry on," Baric told Reuters after the FA said it was considering a replacement. FA president Vlatko Markovic told a news conference on Wednesday he wanted a coach in place as soon as possible. "We don't have much time. We have a friendly against Israel on August 18 which is a key test for our World Cup campaign," he said. Croatia finished third in a group stage behind France and England, but ahead of Switzerland, with two draws and one defeat.