The Serbian football community is in shock following the sudden passing of manager Mladen Zizovic, who collapsed and died during a top-flight league match on Monday. The 44-year-old was in charge of the SuperLiga side Radnicki 1923.
The tragic incident occurred midway through the first half of the away fixture against Mladost Lucani. After Zizovic fell ill, the match was paused in the 22nd minute. Play resumed once he had received emergency treatment and was transported to a hospital, but was permanently abandoned just 20 minutes later when the devastating news of his death reached the stadium.
Television broadcasts captured the raw emotion on the pitch, showing players and coaching staff visibly distraught upon learning the news.
Zizovic, a former Bosnia and Herzegovina international midfielder, had taken the helm at Radnicki just last month. His coaching career included roles at several clubs across the Balkans and a brief period in Saudi Arabia. He is widely credited with leading Bosnian club Borac Banja Luka to a historic achievement last season, guiding them to their first-ever appearance in the knockout stages of a European competition.
In an official statement, his club expressed profound grief, saying: “Our club has lost not only a great specialist but above all a good person, a friend, and a sports worker who, with his knowledge, energy, and nobility, left a deep mark.” The club extended its deepest sympathies to Zizovic’s family and friends.
Borac Banja Luka, where Zizovic also enjoyed a successful playing career, released a poignant tribute. “You left us at 44, but your memory will live forever,” the statement read, honoring him both as a former player and as the coach who delivered the club’s greatest European success. “Life is cruel and takes the best too soon,” it added.
Nenad Lalatovic, the manager of the opposing team Mladost, who attempted to assist Zizovic before he lost consciousness, spoke to reporters after the match. “I still can’t believe how life can turn upside down in a second,” he said. “Mladen was an exceptional man, a friend, and a professional. The football world has lost a great human being.”
Zizovic earned two caps for his national team in 2008 while playing for Zrijnski Mostar, a club he would later go on to manage.