Kurdish footballer completes move to Croatia’s first division

Yekiti Media

Kurdish footballer Jiloan Hamad on Tuesday completed his move to Croatian side HNK Gorica.

The European club confirmed the transfer on its official Twitter account. Hamad took part in his first training session with the team on Wednesday.

The move to Gorica came after Hamad terminated his contract with South Korean club Incheon United in July after only six months of a two-year deal he signed in January 2019.

He made 11 appearances and scored one goal.
“Me and the club incheonunited decided to part ways by mutual consent,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s been a good experience and for that I am grateful. Now, it’s time for a new challenge.”

Before his move to South Korea, the Kurdish footballer spent two seasons with Swedish side Hammarby, making 54 appearances in total and scoring 15 goals.

He also played a significant part in the club’s 2018 Allsvenskan season, helping his team finish in fourth place, narrowly missing out on UEFA Europa League qualification.

The Kurdish athlete began his football career in 2006 when he signed for local club BK Forward in Sweden. He would go on to play for Malmö FF, making 127 appearances and scoring 22 goals.

In 2014, Hamad signed for German club 1899 Hoffenheim, during which he spent a couple of seasons out on loan to the club’s division two side before a move to Standard Liège in Belgium.

Hamad has represented the Swedish national team eight times at senior level. However, he was not in the squad which traveled to Russia for the 2018 World Cup.

The 28-year-old footballer was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, but his family originates from Ranya, in the Kurdistan Region’s province of Sulaimani.

k24