Zamalek Club announced on Saturday the official signing of Croatian Zeljko Babic to lead the handball team in the upcoming period.

The club revealed on its official Facebook page the appointment of Zeljko Babic as the new head coach of the handball team, saying: “From Croatia to the Royal Club… Welcome our new head coach Zeljko Babic.”

The appointment of Babic comes as a replacement for the French coach Frank Maurice, who was dismissed following the team’s results at the Handball Club World Championship and a heavy defeat against Barcelona.

Zeljko Babic is a prominent name in European handball coaching, with an impressive CV and extensive experience managing professional teams. He is 53 years old and progressed in his career from small clubs to coaching the Croatian men’s national team.

Babic previously coached the Croatian national team from 2015 to 2017, leading his country to win the bronze medal at the 2016 European Championship. He also participated in the 2017 World Championship with Croatia, achieving good results despite the injuries the team suffered.

He coached Eurofarm Pelister in the Macedonian league, one of the most prominent clubs in Eastern Europe, where he contributed to developing the team’s defensive system, making it one of the strongest defenses in the Balkan region. He led the team to the Macedonian league final and participated in the EHF European League.

His last coaching position was leading the Croatian team Sisveti in 2025, qualifying them to the group stage of the European League.