Blast From The Past: On This Day 1998 – (Briefly) Sky Blue Jarni Makes City Quick Profit
Robert Jarni at France 98 with Croatia
Thanks to CCFC historian Steve Phelps for reminding us of one of the stranger transfer episodes the Sky Blues got involved with – the Robert Jarni mini saga. The memory above is excerpted from his book ‘Coventry City On This Day’ (Pitch Publishing 2010) which points up lots of interesting Sky Blue related anniversaries*.
In 1998 Croatian international Robert Jarni was a coveted player in perhaps the best spell of his career. He had had a storming season with Spanish club Real Betis. His country had got out of the Group stages (Group H) in France 98 along with Argentina (who they lost to) by beating Jamaica and Japan. In the Round of 16 they squeezed past Romania 1-0 to set up the quarter final with Germany. Robert scored the first goal in a comprehensive 3-0 in first half injury time. In the semis they went narrowly went out 2-1 to home side and eventual winners France. They then won the third place final by beating the Netherlands 2-1. A great finish for a small country!
So it was something of a coup that CCFC Chairman Bryan Richardson beat off the international competition to bring the progressive full-back to Coventry on 7th August with the Sky Blues under (now CCFPA member) Gordon Strachan having finished eleventh in the Premiership in 1997-98. The Sky Blue Army were in turn bemused and enthused at the impending arrival of a player that seemed in demand from top clubs all over Europe. Richardson got his man for a reported £2.6m!
Robert just watching the Sky Blues!
However, about a week after the announced signing and even before the obligatory photo-op with the Sky Blue shirt Robert was off somewhere else -his destination was to Spanish giants Real Madrid and CCFC had seemed to have made an almost instantaneous near £1m profit! The reasons for Jarni’s short time in the City remain obscure. Real Betis had refused overtures from Real Madrid earlier in the transfer window so perhaps CCFC offered a suitable middle man to allow the move? Jarni said he wished to stay in Spain for family reasons!
Having only watched a pre-season friendly and never kicked a ball for the Sky Blues Robert is one Coventry City ‘player’ who could never be an Association member! If he had stayed he might have enjoyed joining in the Sky Blues opening 2-1 defeat of Gianluca Vialli‘s multinational star studded Chelsea side at Highfield Road on 15th August. The Blues included several members of the French World Cup winning squad (Les Bleus) -as well as future Sky Blue Dennis Wise!
Robert Jarni (Croatia U20 Coach)
As for Robert he stayed for just the one season with Real Madrid (playing 36 times and scoring three goals) before dropping into the Spanish second Division with Las Palmas for 1999-2000. He did help them get promoted back to La Liga where he played with them the following campaign before taking a playing swansong in Greece for a handful of games in 2001-02 with Panathinaikos. Robert then coached a number of clubs back home in Croatia, experimentd with a new career at Split in the world of Futsal in 2008 & 2009 and looked after the national U19 & U20 squad from 2017-19. Most recently (until February 2020) Robert was reported as being head coach of Indian ISL club North East United until February 2020.
Robert apparently also owns a sportswear brand and does media work in his own country too!
*Steve’s latest work on the Sky Blues about the 1980-81 squad ’29 Minutes From Wembley’ was published by Pitch Publishing in 2017 and all his CCFC books are available online and from all good bookshops.
