The death of coach Mladen Zizovic was announced to players during a match in Serbia’s top division, leaving them in stitches.
Zizovic, the coach of FK Radnicki 1923, fainted and was treated on the pitch before being transported to the hospital during his team’s game at Mladost Lucani on Monday.
The Serbian SuperLiga match continued but was called off just before halftime when word of Zizovic’s death reached the stadium.
Footage from the game showed players and officials from both teams upset over the news.
On October 23, the 44-year-old former Bosnia and Herzegovina international player was appointed manager of FK Radnicki 1923.
“Our club has lost not only a great professional but, above all, a good man, a friend, and a sportsman who, with his knowledge, energy, and nobility, has left a deep mark on the hearts of all who knew him,” his club said in a statement.
With his death, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Association stated that the “football community has lost another true football professional.”
“During his rich playing career, Zizovic played for numerous clubs in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, most notably HSK Zrinjski Mostar, FK Radnik Bijeljina, and FK Borac Banja Luka, and he also wore the jersey of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team,” it said.
“After ending his playing career, he dedicated himself to coaching, leading clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
“His untimely passing represents a great loss for Bosnian-Herzegovinian football.”
According to the Football Association of Serbia (FSS), “Your love for football and the mark you left will remain with us forever.”
Leading clubs also paid homage, with Red Star Belgrade expressing their “deepest condolences.”
