Serbia sacks national football coach after Albania defeat leaves World Cup hopes hanging

Alsharq Tribune-M.Essam 

Serbia's Football Association (FSS) has dismissed national team coach Dragan "Piksi" Stojkovic after a 1-0 home defeat to Albania in the World Cup qualifiers, which left the country's campaign on the brink of collapse.

The FSS announced that the decision was made by mutual agreement during an executive board meeting in Stara Pazova, ending Stojkovic's four-year tenure along with his coaching staff.

A new manager is expected to be appointed before the November qualifiers against England in London and Latvia in Leskovac, Serbia.

The defeat in Leskovac - Albania's first-ever away win over Serbia - came just weeks after a 5-0 loss to England and triggered widespread frustration among fans.

Serbia now sits third in Group K with 10 points from six games, trailing Albania on 11 points and unbeaten England, who leads the group with a perfect record. Only the group winner qualifies directly for the 2026 World Cup, while the runner-up advances to the playoffs.

Stojkovic, 60, took charge in 2021 and led Serbia to both the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and Euro 2024, restoring pride to a team long haunted by near-misses. His reign peaked with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Portugal in Lisbon that secured Serbia's 2022 World Cup spot.

A former Red Star Belgrade captain and Yugoslavia playmaker, Stojkovic was among Europe's most gifted midfielders of the late 1980s and early 1990s, starring for Marseille in France and Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan, and famously scoring both goals in Yugoslavia's 2-1 win over Spain at the 1990 World Cup.

The FSS thanked Stojkovic "for everything achieved" and wished him success in his future endeavors.