International Football
LIKE TROUSSIER & SHAIBU, SERBIA’S MUSLIN BECOMES FIRST WORLD CUP-BOUND COACH TO GET THE BOOT
Serbia’s coach, Slavoljub Muslin has become the first victim to be fired among coaches who qualified teams for the Russia 2018 World Cup.
He was on Monday fired in a shock move which came three weeks after the 64-year old journeyman steered the Balkan nation to the 2018 World Cup, their first major tournament in eight years.
It is not the first time that a coach who qualified a team to the World Cup will be fired instead of getting assurances of renewed contract. It has happened three times in Nigeria when Pillipe Troussier was fired after qualifying Nigeria for the France ’98 World Cup even with a match to spare.
The late Amodu Shuaibu also twice suffered similar fate ahead of World Cup 2002 and that of 2010.
The Serbian FA (FSS) and its chief Slavisa Kokeza had the final say in a protracted row with Muslin over his squad selection and what they deemed were below-par performances in the qualifying campaign.
“The FSS, headed by president Slavisa Kokeza, convened and decided to part company with Muslin by mutual consent,” the body said on its website.
“Muslin’s assistant Mladen Krstajic will take over as the caretaker and will be in charge for friendlies against China and South Korea (in November), until a new head coach is appointed. We thank Muslin for good cooperation and his accomplishment.”
Muslin’s achievement was no small feat for a nation that last played on the big stage at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, although Serbia’s results flattered their performances for much of the 2018 qualifying campaign.
A revamped and unfamiliar 3-4-3 formation rode their luck in many games to finish top of their group with 20 points from 10 matches, one more than Ireland who reached the playoffs and three ahead of Wales.
But it was Muslin’s decision to axe versatile central midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from the squad and the refusal to even consider his inclusion in the World Cup roster that infuriated his bosses as well as many fans and pundits.
Milinkovic-Savic has impressed at Lazio since he joined the Serie A side from Belgium’s Genk in 2015, having been a key player in Serbia’s Under-20 side which won the 2015 World Cup and the Under-19 European championship in 2013.
Muslin was adamant the creative playmaker could not fit into his rigid formation with two wing-backs and a pair of enforcers in midfield, turning swathes of public opinion against him.
He was also reportedly opposed to the idea of injecting fresh blood into the World Cup squad at the expense of several stalwarts, who have experience but lack the energy levels required in a month-long tournament.
Montenegro’s Serb coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic tops the list of potential candidates to take over after a solid World Cup qualifying campaign in which the Montenegrins finished third in their group behind Poland and Denmark.
Representatives from four national players’ unions on Thursday launched a new global organisation in Madrid, which they say will strengthen footballers’ rights and improve dialogue with governing bodies.
Opening a new front in the battle over who speaks for players, the International Footballers’ Association (AIF) was unveiled, with David Aganzo, president of Spain’s Association of Footballers (AFE) and a former head of the global union FIFPRO, appointed to lead the organisation.
Players’ unions from Brazil, Mexico and Switzerland were also represented.
The initiative drew a swift rebuke from FIFPRO, which said in a statement that Aganzo was acting out of self-interest and aligning himself with organisations linked to football governing bodies, as well as groups expelled from FIFPRO over alleged mismanagement.
Aganzo rejected the criticism, saying he “will not seek confrontation with FIFPRO”.
The launch comes amid strained relations between players’ unions and football authorities, particularly over the expanding international match calendar.
Relations between FIFA and FIFPRO deteriorated in 2024 after the union lodged a complaint with the European Commission, arguing that the global governing body was abusing its dominant position by adding competitions without sufficient consultation.
Aganzo denied suggestions that the new initiative was backed by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but said “direct dialogue with FIFA” was essential.
AFE’s Extraordinary General Assembly approved the initiative in February with 99.8% of votes cast in favour of spearheading the creation of the AIF.
The same assembly also backed AFE’s withdrawal from FIFPRO, citing what it described as a “complete lack of transparency, as well as its total lack of dialogue with international bodies.”
“We represent over 30,000 footballers, and we come here with a new model aimed at safeguarding players’ rights and facilitating direct communication with all international bodies,” Aganzo told reporters.
“We are in contact with 15 to 20 unions already who were very aware of this moment and waiting for this announcement to make their move and join our initiative.”
He declined to identify any unions beyond those present.
Asked about a report that a senior envoy to U.S. President Donald Trump had urged FIFA to replace Iran with Italy at the upcoming World Cup, Aganzo urged caution.
“These are more political issues; on April 30th, I’ll be speaking to Gianni (Infantino) at the FIFA Congress, and we will discuss those things,” Aganzo said.
“People who want to go to the World Cup have to earn their place on sporting merit.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
A new trial over the death of Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona will begin on Tuesday, with seven members of his medical team charged with negligent homicide nearly a year after a previous case collapsed in a mistrial.
An enduring presence in Argentina – from towering murals to tattoos, opens new tab – Maradona died on November 25, 2020, at 60, after a heart attack while he was recuperating from brain surgery to remove a blood clot.
A court in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires, will hear testimony from just under 100 witnesses as it tries Maradona’s medical team over alleged negligence in the death of the 1986 World Cup champion.
His medical team has denied wrongdoing. The defendants are psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychologist Carlos Angel Diaz, physician Nancy Edith Forlini, nurse Ricardo Almiron, head nurse Mariano Ariel Perroni, and physician Pedro Pablo Di Spagna. An eighth defendant, nurse Dahiana Madrid, will be tried in a separate jury trial, with no date yet set.
Two months into the first trial, which started last March, a mistrial was declared when one of three judges, Julieta Makintach, resigned after video surfaced showing her being interviewed by a camera crew in the corridors of the courthouse and in her office as part of a documentary, in breach of judicial rules.
The retrial will require both prosecutors and defense lawyers to reassess their strategies after the first trial aired photographs, videos, audio recordings and forensic evidence. Many witnesses, including Maradona’s children and his former wife, Claudia Villafane, have already testified.
Prosecutors argued in the initial trial that medical professionals broke treatment protocols and that the home where Maradona was recovering from surgery amounted to a “theatre of horror,” where necessary care was not provided.
The defense countered that his death was inevitable given his longstanding health problems. Maradona struggled for decades with cocaine and alcohol addiction.
The negligence charges emerged in 2021 after prosecutors appointed a medical board to investigate Maradona’s death. The panel concluded his medical team acted in an “inappropriate, deficient and reckless” manner.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Aliou Cisse has been named coach of the Angola national team, the country’s football federation (FAF) announced on Thursday, 24 hours after the Senegalese left his post in Libya.
The 50-year-old coach, who led Senegal to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 2022, ended his short stint with the Libyan national team on Wednesday, after taking charge in March 2025.
“Welcome, Aliou Cisse, head coach of the Angola national team,” the FAF said on Facebook. Angola, which failed to reach this year’s World Cup, will start their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign in September.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Shooting Stars, Ikorodu City, in Winner-Takes-All Quest for Confederation Cup ticket
Rangers, Rivers United Seal CAF Champions League Tickets
Barcelona seal 29th LaLiga title with 2-0 Clasico win over Real Madrid
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- Boxing1 week ago
Usyk backs Joshua to beat Fury ahead of heavyweight showdown
- World Cup3 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup3 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup3 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup4 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup6 days ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Premier League3 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards
- Nigerian Football3 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale