Serbia coach, Dragan Stojkovic, who made 84 appearances for the former Yugoslavia between 1983 and 2001, made a surprising decision to resign straight after his team’s 1-0 loss to Albania in the World Cup qualifying match. This defeat marked Serbia’s second consecutive loss after their 5-0 thrashing by England last month. The team currently sits in third place in Group K, with England leading on 15 points and Albania in second with 11 points, despite having played one more game.
Stojkovic expressed his unexpected disappointment in the defeat during a post-match news conference, where he revealed that he had offered his resignation to the president and general secretary. Taking full responsibility for the loss, he emphasized his accountability for the team’s performance. The next match for Serbia is scheduled away at Andorra on Tuesday. Stojkovic took on the role of Serbia boss in 2021 and guided the team to the 2022 World Cup, where they ended up at the bottom of their group with just one point from three matches. The game against Albania had to be relocated from Serbia’s capital to the city of Leskovac due to security concerns stemming from the long-standing political tensions between the two countries. The outcome of the match now puts England in a position to secure qualification for the upcoming World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a victory over Latvia in Riga on Tuesday.
