After many changes on Novi Beograd’s bench, the club has appointed a new head coach for the next season.
Croatian coach Zoran Bajic will be the head of the coaching staff for the 2026/27 season, the club announced on its social networks.
Bajic served as the head coach of Mladost Zagreb on two occasions. During his first tenure from 2017 to 2023, he led the team to a Croatian Championship title in 2021, two Croatian Cups, and two Regional League titles. However, the 2023/24 season began on a disappointing note, prompting the club to make a change at the helm.
Last summer, he was reappointed as Mladost’s head coach. Under Bajic’s guidance, Mladost qualified for the Champions League for the first time after six years. After that, the Zagreb-based club reached the Top 8 stage, finishing behind Olympiacos and ahead of Radnicki and Vasas in a very tough group of the first phase. Besides, Mladost won the Croatian Cup this season. But, Bajic was dismissed several weeks ago, because, as the club announced unsatisfying results in the second half of the season. He was replaced by Hrvoje Hrestak, who had been his assistant until then
As for Novi Beograd, the club parted ways with Zivko Gocic last summer. Peta Radanovic guided the club in the first half of the season (until November). Following his departure, team leader Slavko Gak served as the temporary head coach, assisted by Aleksandar Sapic.
During the winter break in the clubs’ competitions, Miodrag Mirovic joined Novi Beograd. He led the team in four matches, winning three against Crvena Zvezda, Partizan (both in the Premier League), and Jadran Herceg Novi (in the Champions League), but losing to Radnicki. After the game against Radnicki, Mirovic left the club in mid-February. Novi Beograd quickly found his replacement – Zoran Mijalkovski.
Aleksandar Sapic, who was part of the coaching staff as an assistant in most games in the past six months, has recently officially become the head coach, leading the club in games against Olympiacos and Sabac.
Interestingly, one of Novi Beograd’s former head coaches, Miodrag Mirovic, is now Hrvoje Hrestak’s assistant at Mladost.
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