It’s not just football in Saarland that is mourning Slobodan Cendic: the former promotion coach of 1. FC Saarbrücken died last Tuesday at the age of 85 after a short illness. His wife told the “Saarbrücker Zeitung” about this. “It was his wish that ‘his football world’ would know that he had died,” she said.
Cendic left his mark especially in Saarbrücken, he coached the FCS in his first term from 1974 to 1976, he led the club into the Bundesliga – and had to leave after just nine match days. After Saarbrücken was relegated from the Bundesliga, Cendic took over the team again from 1978 to 1980.
In Saarland he later also coached the then Bundesliga club FC Homburg (1988 to 1989). His first position as a coach in professional football was Schalke 04. Early in the 1970/1971 season he replaced Rudi Gutendorf, after which Cendic led the Knappen to sixth place in the Bundesliga and to the semi-finals of the DFB Cup.