Mehmet Duraković (,
born 13 October 1965) is a
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach and former player. Born in Titograd, Yugoslavia, now
Podgorica
Podgorica ( cnr-Cyrl, Подгорица; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Montenegro, largest city of Montenegro. The city is just north of Lake Skadar and close to coastal destinations on the Adriatic Sea. Histor ...
,
Montenegro
, image_flag = Flag of Montenegro.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Montenegro.svg
, coa_size = 80
, national_motto =
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map = Europe-Mont ...
, he spent his playing career as a defender for several clubs in the Australian
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its ...
(NSL), with a brief stint in Malaysia with
Selangor FA
Selangor Football Club ( Malay: ''Kelab Bola Sepak Selangor'') is a professional football club based in the city of Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. The club currently competes in the Malaysia Super League, the top tier of Malaysian football. ...
. Duraković made 64 appearances and scored six goals for the
Australian national team.
Early life
Mehmet Duraković was born in Montenegro into an
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
family.
Early in Duraković's childhood, his family left Yugoslavia and emigrated to Australia
to seek better work and opportunities for their growing children. Duraković's official playing days began with the Footscray juniors, and he moved on to
Port Melbourne
Port Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of the Melbourne central business district, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Port Phillip, Port Phillip Local government ...
juniors when his family moved to the inner-city suburbs. He was with Port Melbourne from Under-10s to Under-16s.
After living in Australia for ten years, Duraković's parents moved back to Montenegro. Although Duraković was unhappy, he began to take soccer more seriously and played with local clubs in lower divisions. However, in just over a year
Budućnost Titograd, who played in the
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
, asked him to join them.
Duraković returned to Australia in 1984 by himself and immediately joined the Port Melbourne senior team. After a month, he had been signed by NSL club Brunswick Juventus.
Club career
Early career
Duraković was a defender for
Brunswick Juventus from 1985 to 1988, making 61 appearances and scoring two goals for the club. He spent most of his first year at Juventus in the reserves or on the bench for the seniors. He came off the bench a couple of times in 1985 but did not make his full debut until late that season. His second game for Juventus was the grand final against
Sydney City. He was part of Juventus' 1985 NSL Championship winning team.
Brunswick was relegated from the NSL by 1988. Duraković was loaned out to
Footscray JUST
Footscray Jugoslav United Soccer Team, commonly referred to as J.U.S.T, Footscray or simply JUST, was an association football club from Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne, Australia. The club was established by Yugoslavs, Yugoslav migrants in 1950, ...
in 1988 for one year. He made 25 appearances and one goal before moving to
South Melbourne
South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
.
South Melbourne Hellas
Durakovic made 138 appearances and scored five goals in his first sting at the club from 1989 to 1995. He was part of South Melbourne's famous 1991 NSL Championship winning team led by Ferenc Puskas.
Durakovic's performances at the club led him to becoming one of Australia's top defenders and a fan favourite at the club.
In his final move, Duraković returned to South Melbourne in 2000. He was named as part of South's Team of the Century in 2000.
Despite his age, Durakovic led South to a top of the table finish in 2000/01, narrowly losing the Grand Final to Wollongong.
Durakovic announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the
2003/04 NSL season. At South Melbourne's final home National League Soccer match, the Hellas fans stormed the field at full time and carried Durakovic off.
Durakovic would make a further 98 appearances for Hellas scoring one goal.
In 1990 and 1992, Durakovic was twice awarded the Theo Marmaras medal for being the player of the season at South Melbourne.
Later career
In 1994, Duraković moved to Malaysia, where he played for
Selangor
Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
until he returned to Australia and joined
Sydney Olympic
Sydney Olympic Football Club is an Australian semi-professional soccer club, based in Belmore, Sydney, New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states o ...
in 1998. His next NSL club was the
Gippsland Falcons
Falcons 2000 Soccer Club (formerly Morwell Falcons, Gippsland Falcons and Eastern Pride) is an Australian semi-professional association football, soccer club based in the regional Victoria, Australia, Victorian city of Morwell in Latrobe Valley, G ...
, where he returned as the Falcons' key defender, sparking renewed interest from across the NSL despite being in his mid-thirties.
International career
Duraković played 64 times for the
Australian national team from 1990 to 2002, including several
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
qualification campaigns. In the qualifying campaign for the
1994 World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup was the 15th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national soccer teams. It was hosted by the United States and took place from June 17 to July 17, 1994, at nine venues across the country. The United States w ...
, he scored a goal against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
to level
the tie on aggregate. In the subsequent play-off against
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, he marked
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...
.
[
]
Coaching career
Duraković's coaching career began with the Port Melbourne Sharks in 2003. He then became coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport Football Program. In 2008, Duraković was appointed the inaugural coach of the Melbourne Victory Youth Team until 2011, when he was appointed caretaker coach of the Melbourne Victory FC
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under North American professional sports leag ...
senior team after Ernie Merrick
Ernest Merrick Order of Australia, OAM (born 15 January 1953) is a Scottish-Australian coach, who last managed A-League soccer club Newcastle Jets FC, Newcastle Jets. He was released on 6 January 2020. He was the former head coach of the Hong Ko ...
was sacked during Victory's Asian Champions League
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...
campaign.
Under Duraković as caretaker head coach, Melbourne Victory won one of their remaining Asian Champions League fixtures and tied the others. Subsequently, in June 2011, Duraković was named as Merrick's permanent replacement.
As Melbourne Victory's coach, he signed Isaka Cernak, Tando Velaphi
Tando Yuji Velaphi (born 17 April 1987) is an Australian professional Association football, football player who played as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Subiaco AFC, Subiaco AFC.
Club career Early playing career
Velaphi tr ...
, Marco Rojas, James Jeggo, Jean Carlos Solórzano, Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian soccer coach, manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Yokohama F. Marinos in the J1 League.
As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Liverpool ...
, Fabio Fabio is a given name descended from Latin ''Fabius'' and very popular in Italy and Latin America (due to Italian migration).
The name is written without an accent in Italian and Spanish, but is usually accented in Portuguese as ''Fábio'' (with t ...
,[ ] Lawrence Thomas and Ante Čović.
Under the weight of expectation, particularly in light of Kewell's arrival, Melbourne Victory started the 2011–12 A-League
The 2011–12 A-League was the 35th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the seventh season of the Australian A-League soccer competition since its establishment in 2004. At the end of the previous season, the North Queensland Fury we ...
season poorly, failing to score in their first three games and remaining without a win until Round 4. As the season progressed, Melbourne Victory's performances remained inconsistent, and following successive away losses against Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid.
When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...
and Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL).
The Mar ...
which saw Victory fall to the eighth position, in January 2012 Duraković was sacked.
In November 2012, Duraković was appointed as senior technical director at Victorian Premier League
The Victorian Premier League (VPL) is an Australian soccer league based in Victoria that was founded in 2023 and administered by Football Victoria. It consists of two divisions that were named after the VPL's breakaway of the National Premier L ...
club South Melbourne
South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at the 2021 ...
.
From 2013 to 2015, Duraković was manager and head coach of Selangor FA, the team he had played for in the 1990s. Duraković managed to make them become the runners-up in the 2014 Malaysian Super League
The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnership (FMLLP), now known ...
, quarter-finalist of the 2014 Malaysian Cup. He also signed former Indonesian international football player Andik Vermansyah from Persebaya 1927 and former Australian international football player Robert Cornthwaite from Jeonnam Dragons
The Jeonnam Dragons () are a South Korean professional football club based in the city of Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. The Dragons play their home matches at the G ...
for the 2015 Malaysian Super League season, as well as Leandro Dos Santos from T-Team F.C. and Guilherme de Paula Lucrécio
Guilherme de Paula Lucrécio (born 9 November 1986) is a profesional footballer who last played as a forward who plays for Liga M3 club Melaka. Born in Brazil, he represented the Malaysia national team.
International career
He played once ...
from FC Milsami Orhei
Fotbal Club Milsami Orhei, commonly known as Milsami Orhei or simply Milsami, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Orhei, Moldova, currently playing in the Liga, the top tier of Moldovan football.
Previously known as ''FC Viitorul ...
. In 2015, Selangor their 33rd Malaysia Cup title as well as finishing runner-up again in the Super League
Super League (also known as the Betfred Super League for sponsorship reasons, and legally Super League Europe Ltd.) is a professional rugby league competition, and the highest level of the British rugby league system, which consists of twelve t ...
.
In February 2017, Duraković took over as head coach of another Malaysian Super League side, Perak F.C.
Perak Football Club (Perak FC) was a professional football team based in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. Founded in 1921, it was one of the oldest football clubs in the country and last competed in the Malaysia Super League. Formerly overseen by the P ...
, after the club terminated their former head coach's contract. In October 2018, Duraković brought Perak to the 92nd Malaysia Cup finals and won against Terengganu on penalties with a score of 3–3. He also lead Perak to the 2019 FA Cup finals. In February 2021, Duraković and Perak agreed on mutual termination of contract, days before the start of the 2021 league season.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Brunswick Juventus
* NSL Championship: (1) 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
** Spain and Portugal en ...
South Melbourne
* NSL Championship: (1) 1990–91
* NSL Premiers: (1) 2000–01
* Dockerty Cup
The Dockerty Cup is an annual association football single-elimination tournament, knock-out competition open to all Victorian clubs across the Australian soccer league system, Victorian football league system. The tournament is named after the fo ...
: 1989, 1991, 1993
* NSL Cup
The National Soccer League Cup (known most commonly as the NSL Cup) was an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Australian soccer organised by the Australian Soccer Federation between 1977 and 1997.
History
The NSL Cup was or ...
: 1989-90
Selangor
* Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup (), formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, i ...
: (3) 1995,1996,1997
* M-League
The Malaysian League, also known as the M-League ( Malay: ''Liga Malaysia'' or ''Liga-M''), is a terminology used to describe the professional football league in Malaysia. The terminology was mainly used to describe the league and its divisions ...
: (Runner-up) 1995
Australia
*OFC Nations Cup
The OFC Men's Nations Cup, known as the OFC Nations Cup before the 2024 OFC Men's Nations Cup, 2024 edition, is the primary association football competition contested by the senior list of men's national association football teams, men's natio ...
: runner-up 2002
The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
As coach/manager
Selangor:
* M-League
The Malaysian League, also known as the M-League ( Malay: ''Liga Malaysia'' or ''Liga-M''), is a terminology used to describe the professional football league in Malaysia. The terminology was mainly used to describe the league and its divisions ...
: (Runner-up) 2014, 2015
* Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup (), formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, i ...
: (1) 2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
Perak
*M-League
The Malaysian League, also known as the M-League ( Malay: ''Liga Malaysia'' or ''Liga-M''), is a terminology used to describe the professional football league in Malaysia. The terminology was mainly used to describe the league and its divisions ...
: (Runner-up) 2018
*Malaysia FA Cup
The Malaysia FA Cup () is an annual association football, football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP, Malaysian ...
: runners-up 2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
*Malaysia Cup
The Malaysia Cup (), formerly known as Malaya Cup, is an annual football tournament in Malaysia, held at the end of the calendar year. The cup was first held in 1921. Despite its prestige and popularity as the country's oldest cup tournament, i ...
: (1) 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
Individual
* Theo Marmaras medal: 1990,1992
* Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (The Meritorious Service Medal in Malaysia): 1995
* South Melbourne's Team of the Century: 2000
* Darjah Ahli Mahkota Perak (Malaysia): 2018
* FAM Football Awards The Football Association of Malaysia National Football Awards are presented to the best football local and foreign players and coaches. They have been awarded since the 2005–06 Malaysia Super League season.
Sponsorship
Since the establishment o ...
– Best Coach: 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
References
External links
*
OzFootball profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duraković, Mehmet
1965 births
Living people
Australian people of Albanian descent
Footballers from Podgorica
Australian men's soccer players
Australian expatriate men's soccer players
Australia men's international soccer players
Port Melbourne SC players
National Soccer League (Australia) players
Brunswick Zebras Football Club players
Footscray JUST players
South Melbourne FC players
Sydney Olympic FC players
Selangor F.C. players
Melbourne Victory FC managers
Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia
A-League Men managers
Montenegrin emigrants to Australia
Yugoslav emigrants to Australia
Perak F.C. managers
Men's association football defenders
Falcons 2000 SC players
Australian soccer managers
2000 OFC Nations Cup players
2002 OFC Nations Cup players
20th-century Australian sportsmen