Red Star Belgrade Coach Stankovic Resigns Minutes After Bnei Sakhnin Defeat

Following Red Star Belgrade's 2-0 away loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers on August 11, 2026, coach Dejan Stankovic announced his resignation to the team in the locker room. The defeat sealed Red Star's elimination from the competition with an aggregate score of 3-0, prompting a significant upheaval in Serbian football circles. Stankovic had reportedly promised to resign if the team failed to qualify for the Champions League, a commitment he fulfilled immediately after the match. The club's management convened an emergency meeting to discuss potential replacements and strategies to rebuild the squad after this setback. This marks Stankovic's second tenure as Red Star's head coach, with his previous term ending similarly in 2022 following elimination by Maccabi Haifa. Serbian media criticized the team's performance as powerless and highlighted disciplinary issues, including Stankovic's ejection for spitting towards a referee, describing it as a disgraceful end to his coaching period at the club.