Mourning in Serbia
Coach dies after collapse: new details
Updated on November 6, 2025 – 3:11 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Visiting coach Mladen Žižović collapses during a first division game in Lucani, Serbia. Minutes later the sad news of his death follows. Now there are new findings.
A death overshadowed the first division game in Serbia between FK Mladost Lucani and FK Radnicki at the beginning of the week and caused great sadness. The 44-year-old guest coach Mladen Žižović collapsed during the game on Monday evening and died a short time later. The exact cause of death was initially unknown, but there are now new findings.
As the Serbian daily newspaper “Vecernje Novosti” reports, there are many indications of a heart attack. Accordingly, Žižović said shortly before the collapse that he was not feeling well.
Radnicki defender Mehmed Ćosić described shocking details to the Bosnian portal Factor: At lunch together, Mladen Žižović said that he didn’t like the fish. However, there was nothing unusual during the warm-up. “During the game I saw him say something to the referee and then go to the bench,” said Ćosić. There, Žižović suddenly said he wasn’t feeling well and then collapsed.
He was then taken off the field on a stretcher and the game initially continued. But the team could no longer return to normality. Ćosić said: “We said we wanted to play for him and dedicate the victory to him. But we were completely shocked. Nobody could concentrate. We thought he would come back – and we could celebrate together.”
The game in Lucani, 160 kilometers south of Belgrade, was canceled. In the 41st minute, the news of Žižović’s death was spread among the teams. Players from both teams reacted in shock, many crying on the pitch. “Our club has not only lost an outstanding professional, but above all a good person, friend and committed athlete who, with his knowledge, energy and integrity, left a deep impression on everyone who knew him,” Radicki wrote on his Facebook page.