Radnicki 1923 manager Mladen Zizovic died aged 44 after suffering a heart attack mid-match. Photo / Getty Images
A football manager has died aged 44 after suffering a heart attack mid-match, with players filmed dropping to the pitch in tears when told he had not survived.
In extraordinary scenes in Serbia, Radnicki 1923 manager Mladen Zizovic collapsed on the touchline midway through the first half of his side’s match with Mladost. Play was halted while medics fought to save Zizovic, a former Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder, before he was taken to hospital.
The match resumed, with play continuing until nearly halftime, but was abandoned when news that Zizovic had died was confirmed. Footage of the abandonment shows players from both sides slumping to the turf in shock.
Radnicki player Mehmed Cosic said his manager had earlier complained about feeling unwell after eating some fish he refused to finish.
The death of Zizovic, who was appointed recently and was taking charge of just his third game, triggered a wave of tributes.
Radnicki said in a statement: “Our club has lost not only a great professional but above all a good man, a friend and a sportsman who, with his knowledge, energy and nobility has left a deep mark on the hearts of all who knew him.”
🇧🇦🇷🇸 | Sırbistan Süper Ligi ekibi Radnicki 1923'ün teknik direktörü Mladen Zizovic, deplasmanda oynanan Mladost Lucani maçı sırasında geçirdiği kalp krizi sonrası hayatını kaybetti.
— Balkan Futbolu (@BalkanFutbolu) November 4, 2025
44 yaşındaki teknik adam, maçın 22. dakikasında aniden yere yığıldı. Hastaneye kaldırılan… pic.twitter.com/slGoGJj1aw
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Association said its “football community has lost another true football professional”.
It added: “During his rich playing career, Zizovic played for numerous clubs in the Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina, most notably HSK Zrinjski Mostar, FK Radnik Bijeljina and FK Borac Banja Luka, and he also wore the jersey of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
“After ending his playing career, he dedicated himself to coaching, leading clubs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.
“His untimely passing represents a great loss for Bosnian-Herzegovinian football.”
The Football Association of Serbia said: “Your love for football and the mark you left will remain with us forever.”
Leading clubs also paid tribute, including Red Star Belgrade, who passed on their “deepest condolences”, while fans of FK Borac Banja Luka painted a mural of their former manager outside the club’s stadium. Radnicki’s next match has been postponed with Zizovic’s funeral scheduled for Thursday.
Cosic, who was on the pitch at the time, later opened up about the tragedy.
“I didn’t fall asleep until almost 3.30am,” Cosic told Faktor. “I have no words; we are stunned.
“I’m replaying the movie in my head. He was giving me instructions, turned around and, at one point, I saw that he was talking to the referee by the benches. Then he went towards our bench, turned to the others and said, ‘I’m not feeling well, I’m not feeling well’.
“He fell; you saw everything else. In the video that appeared on social networks, you can also hear screams.
“They say he complained about the fish, said he wouldn’t eat it anymore. That’s what he was talking about. There were no problems during the warm-up, the game started, everything was OK.
“We continued the game, hoping that the worst wouldn’t happen and that he would be with us again. It was clear that that wasn’t it, but we said that we were playing for him and that we wanted to reward him with a victory. We weren’t focused, we were in disbelief, but we didn’t want to disappoint him.
“We believed that he would come back and be with us again, and that we would celebrate the victory. Then there was complete shock. The referee suddenly stopped the game. Someone said, ‘He died’. Everything stopped in an instant.”
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