Adelaide United is pleased to announce Damian Mori has been appointed as the Club’s new interim Assistant Coach for the remainder of the Isuzu UTE 2021/22 season.
Mori and the Club’s men’s Head Coach, Carl Veart, are former teammates at Adelaide City during the National Soccer League (NSL), winning the championship together in 1994.
They also played together for the Olyroos at the 1992 Summer Olympics and later Socceroos.
The 51-year-old is currently Head Coach of National Premier League South Australia (NPLSA) side FK Beograd and will continue to share the workload after gaining promotion to the top-flight in 2021.
A five-time NSL golden boot winner and two-time Johnny Warren Medal recipient, Mori is the most prolific goal-scorer in Australian football history with 240 career goals in 446 appearances.
The instinctive striker rose to prominence with the Black and Whites, and later enjoyed success with Perth Glory – clinching two NSL championships – before spells with Central Coast Mariners and Brisbane Roar.
Mori is also the second-highest scorer in Socceroos history with 29 goals in 45 games.
In the latter years of his playing career, Mori ventured into coaching and was subsequently at the helm of Adelaide City for nine seasons, collecting silverware along the way.
After a sabbatical he returned to coaching in 2020 with Beograd and in his second year with the Woodville-based club, he secured promotion.
Mori, who holds an AFC Pro Licence, said: “I’m really excited to be given this opportunity and assist Carl for the remainder of the season.
“Ross (Aloisi) obviously did a wonderful job in the role for the last 18 months, so I hope to build on the principles he implemented and also impart my own unique coaching style.
“Adelaide United is a club I have always watched extremely closely and the chance to work with the players regularly is something that I’m looking forward to.
“It is a very good squad and the aim is to continue the solid performances and finish the season as strong as possible.”
Veart, said: “While it is disappointing to see Ross go, I believe Damian is a more than suitable replacement.
“I’ve known him for a very long time and his coaching philosophy is very similar to the way I want our team to play football.
“Damian is one of the most qualified coaches at the local NPL level and has worked extremely hard for more than a decade.”
Adelaide United Chief Executive Officer, Nathan Kosmina, said: “Damian is a legend of South Australian and Australian football, and his experience will be invaluable as we push to consolidate a position in the top four.
“We would like to acknowledge and thank FK Beograd for allowing Damian to share his roles between the two clubs.”
FK Beograd Secretary, Sasha Lalic, added: “Damian has been instrumental in transforming the club’s fortunes over the last couple of years, by professionalising and raising standards and expectations of not only the club, but also our first team.
“He is an outstanding coach and it’s great to see him get the opportunity to operate in a professional environment with Adelaide United, while simultaneously remaining in charge of FK Beograd for the 2022 NPL Season.”
