Dean Klafurić


Dean Klafurić is a Croatian professional football manager. Apart from Croatia, he has also managed clubs in Poland, Cyprus, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia.

Managerial career

Early career

Klafurić started working as a football manager in Udarnik in 2005. He accepted the place of manager of the Croatia women's national team in 2009. In 2012, Klafurić was sacked as manager. He then started working in the Dinamo Zagreb Academy.
On 16 April 2018, Klafurić took over the caretaker manager role at Polish club Legia Warsaw after compatriot Romeo Jozak got fired. Klafurić would go on to win the domestic cup and a domestic league title double. On 4 June 2018, he was appointed as the manager of Legia Warsaw, before getting sacked on 1 August 2018.
Klafurić later worked as manager of Hrvatski Dragovoljac, Cypriot side Ethnikos Achna and Slaven Belupo.

Budapest Honvéd

On 24 October 2022, Klafurić was appointed manager of Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Budapest Honvéd. He managed his first Budapest Honvéd match against Fehérvár, losing 1–0 at the Bozsik Aréna on 29 October 2022.

Velež Mostar

On 30 August 2023, Bosnian Premier League side Velež Mostar appointed Klafurić as manager on a two-year deal. His first match in charge was a 4–2 away win against Igman Konjic on 16 September 2023.
Klafurić suffered his first defeat as Velež manager against Borac Banja Luka on 1 October 2023. In his first ever Mostar derby, Klafurić's side were defeated by [HŠK HŠK Zrinjski Mostar|Zrinjski Mostar|Zrinjski] on 18 October 2023. He led the club to a 3–0 home win against Zrinjski on 13 November 2023, Velež's first derby win in three years. He finished the season with Velež in third place, qualifying for the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League first qualifying round.
On 17 June 2024, it was announced by Velež that Klafurić had surprisingly left the club by mutual consent.

TSC

On 1 July 2024, Klafurić was announced as manager of Serbian SuperLiga club TSC. The club had qualified for the UEFA Europa League play-off by finishing third in the national league in the previous season.
TSC was drawn to play against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the play-off in August, and went on to lose 8–1 on aggregate, to drop down to the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League. However, following a string of poor results, which saw him win only two games in the opening five league matches of the season, Klafurić resigned on 30 August 2024.

Široki Brijeg

Klafurić returned to the Bosnian Premier League in December 2024, having been revealed as manager of Široki Brijeg on 20 December. His first match in charge was a 1–0 home win against GOŠK Gabela in a Bosnian Cup game on 8 February 2025. He guided the side to the Bosnian cup final in May 2025, but was defeated by Sarajevo 5–1 on aggregate.
On 6 January 2026, Klafurić left Široki Brijeg by mutual consent, amidst growing speculation about changes in the club's management.

Honours

Legia Warsaw
Individual
  • Ekstraklasa Coach of the Month: May 2018