Selector water polo representation Of Serbia Uroš Stevanović resigned on Monday due to disagreements with the new leadership of the Water Polo Federation of Serbia (VSS).
Last week, there were changes at the head of the HJC after the two terms of President Viktor Jelenić, who held that position since 2018. Slobodan Soro, a former representative of Serbia and Brazil, was elected president.
Before that, Soro served as the president of the Novi Beograd Water Polo Club, where he was previously the sports director.
In his first public appearance after assuming the post of president of the Supreme Court, he said that the national team has not been recording great results in recent years, i.e. that they are not worthy of the reputation of the Serbian national team.
"Results are produced for 10-15 years, and only then can the fruits of labor be enjoyed. It won't be easy for us because we haven't had great results in recent years. From the gold in Tokyo, we have the first places in Paris and at the European Belgrade. In other competitions, we were eliminated before, they were not results worthy of the reputation of our water polo", said Soro.
Understood the message Sora
Stevanović announced that he does not agree with Soro's vocabulary, that he is not worthy of the Olympic and European champion, and that this is the reason for his resignation.
"The new president of the Supreme Court uses a vocabulary uncharacteristic of the current Olympic and European champions. A dictionary whose aim is, I don't know what caused, the qualitative and professional discrediting of the Serbian national team. As I don't agree with that, and I don't want any public polemics, I emphasize that I 'understood the message' and leave it to you to find a selector who will satisfy your high ambitions in every competition", wrote Stevanović.
Soro previously stated that the coach of Serbia cannot be a coach in the home club at the same time, because that is "not fair to the sport", because there were cases where players were blackmailed to play in one club, in order to play for the national team.
In parallel with his work as a coach, Stevanović was also the coach of Kragujevac's Radnički. Nenad Manojlović, who was the coach of Nais, Petar Porobić, who was the coach of Jadran, Dejan Udovicic, who was the coach of Partizan and Dejan Savić, who was the coach of Crvena zvezda, were in the same situation before.
Photo: AP Photo/Luca BrunoThe water polo players of Serbia throw coach Uroš Stevanović into the pool after the final of the Olympic Games.
Possible heirs of Stevanović
The coach of Serbia should be chosen by an expert council, which, however, does not currently exist. Slobodan Soro also spoke about this upon assuming his new position.
"The profession must return to the Association, the professional council does not work for us. The coaches' association should be involved as much as possible, so with such a solid system we can achieve results and that is the crowning glory of the work", explained Soro.
The portal Waterpolo360 already announced on Instagram on Monday that he is the former captain of Serbia Živko Gocić potential successor of Stevanović. Gocić worked with Sora in New Belgrade since the summer of 2022, but they parted ways this summer, since he has been the technical director at Partizan.
The coaches Vladimir Vujasinović and Slobodan Nikić, who work abroad, as well as Igor Milanović, who is currently out of work, are mentioned as possible selectors.
Vladimir Vujasinović is currently the coach of the Greek team Vuliagmeni, and he was the former captain of the Serbian national team. Until recently, Nikić was the coach of Hungarian Vašaš, and until the end of the current season he is performing the function of sports director. Milanović, the former Yugoslav center, is currently without an engagement. So far, he has coached a large number of clubs: Partizan, Pro Reko, Galatasaray, Crvena zvezda, Novi Beograd, Olimpiakos and Mladost Zagreb.
Sportklub journalist Dejan Stevović points out that it is difficult to predict who will be the new selector due to the overall relations in Serbian water polo.
Mayor and other options
The coach of the current vice-champion of Serbia, Novi Belgrade, has recently been officially Aleksandar Šapić, who is also the mayor of Belgrade. Thus, the question arises as to whether the position of head coach of the Serbian water polo national team, no matter how crazy it sounds, would be compatible with the political position of the mayor. During the current season, Novi Beograd won the Serbian Cup with Šapić as part of the coaching staff.
Stevović says about Šapić as a potential coach that it would be frivolous if it happened now, but that it can be discussed after the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028.
"Aleksandar Šapić is the mayor of Belgrade, but lately he has been showing ambition to work as a coach. He became the first coach of New Belgrade. It would be frivolous for him to take over the national team as a coach with about thirty games, but if he wants that, I think it is more realistic to discuss it after the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The political situation in the country at that time can have a special influence on that," said Stevović.
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