Red Star Coach Stankovic Faces Exit After Underestimating Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Champions League Playoffs

Following Red Star Belgrade's elimination from the 2026 UEFA Champions League playoffs by Israeli club Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Serbian media and fans have sharply criticized head coach Dejan Stankovic. The defeat echoes a similar failure in 2022 when Red Star was knocked out by Maccabi Haifa, with critics accusing Stankovic of repeating the same mistake by underestimating a supposedly weaker opponent. "Those burned by Maccabi Haifa in 2022 should have been cautious about Hapoel Be'er Sheva," wrote Sportal, branding Stankovic as the main culprit for the failure.

Stankovic is expected to leave Red Star following this setback. Earlier in August, when asked about the 2022 elimination, he had insisted that the circumstances were different and that the club had progressed since then, expressing confidence in a new approach. He also revealed a logistical preference for facing Be'er Sheva over Vikingur due to proximity to Serbia. However, Serbian commentators now argue that Stankovic failed to learn from past mistakes, describing the team's performance as a disgrace and stating that both the coach and players were absent in spirit during the match. The loss has intensified pressure on Stankovic, signaling the end of his tenure at Red Star.