Slaviša Jokanovic
Encyclopedia
Slaviša Jokanović is a retired Serbia
n professional footballer who played in the 1990s and early 2000s.
A physical, not devoid of skill, defensive midfielder, with excellent aerial ability, he impressed at FK Partizan
, before spending seven seasons in La Liga
with three different clubs, amassing totals of 208 games of 31 goals, mainly at the service of Tenerife
; he also played for two years at Chelsea
towards the end of his career.
Jokanović represented Serbia
at the 1998 World Cup
and Euro 2000.
, Vojvodina
, Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Jokanović started playing for hometown side FK Novi Sad
, making his senior debuts with another team in his city, FK Vojvodina
, which helped win its second national title
, in the 1988–89 season, with four goals in 24 matches.
In 1990, Jokanović joined Belgrade
's FK Partizan
. In his second year, he helped the club win the domestic cup
and, in his third, he scored an impressive 13 league goals (a career-best), being one of several players to score in double digits - the team scored 103 in 36 games - en route to the league conquest.
After impressive displays at Partizan, Jokanović signed for Real Oviedo
in Spain
. During his two-year spell, he partnered compatriots Janko Janković
, Nikola Jerkan
and Robert Prosinečki
. Subsequently, he joined fellow La Liga
side CD Tenerife
, being instrumental in the Canary Islands
' domestic consolidation.
In the 1999 summer, aged 31, Jokanović signed for Deportivo de La Coruña
, forming a physical midfield partnership with Brazil
ians Mauro Silva
and Donato Gama da Silva
- the trio combined for 85 games and five goals - as the Galicians won its first ever league title.
After only one season with Depor, Jokanović signed with Premier League Chelsea
in October 2000, for £
1.7 million. He appeared relatively for the Blues during two seasons and was released in July 2002 at nearly 34, and hung up his boots in the Spanish second division
with Ciudad de Murcia
, playing just three months.
Jokanović was living in Madrid
when he joined, in September 2007, the technical staff of third division
team Club Atlético de Pinto
. However, three months later, he became the head coach of Partizan, replacing Miroslav Đukić, who left to take the reins of the national side. His family (wife and three children) remained in the Spanish capital.
In May 2008, under Jokanović's management, Partizan won the double (league
and cup
). He was also selected as the year's "Best Coach in Serbia" by the Serbian FA
, but refused to receive this award due to Partizan's poor results in the UEFA Cup group stage.
In his first full season, Jokanović led Partizan to another double, winning the league with 19 points in advance to former club Vojvodina; thus, he became the first coach in the club's history to successfully defend the accolades. On 5 September 2009, however, he left the post, by mutual consent, bidding farewell to the club through an open letter.
, his debut coming on 27 February 1991 in a friendly with Turkey
, playing the last 10 minutes in the place of Željko Petrović
. He then appeared in some UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying matches, helping the national team top its group - although it would eventually be prevented from taking part in the final stages in Sweden
, due to the Yugoslav Wars
.
Jokanović represented Serbia and Montenegro in a further 58 matches, appearing for the nation at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
and Euro 2000. In the former competition, he played in four complete matches as the national side reached the round of 16. In the latter, he appeared three times, being sent off
against Spain
in a 3–4 loss, with the team also reaching the last-eight stage.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n professional footballer who played in the 1990s and early 2000s.
A physical, not devoid of skill, defensive midfielder, with excellent aerial ability, he impressed at FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
, before spending seven seasons in La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
with three different clubs, amassing totals of 208 games of 31 goals, mainly at the service of Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
; he also played for two years at Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
towards the end of his career.
Jokanović represented Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
at the 1998 World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and Euro 2000.
Club career
Born in Novi SadNovi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, Vojvodina
Vojvodina
Vojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
, Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Jokanović started playing for hometown side FK Novi Sad
FK Novi Sad
RFK Novi Sad is a Serbian professional football club based in the city of Novi Sad, Vojvodina. The club currently playing in the Serbian First League.-History:...
, making his senior debuts with another team in his city, FK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina
FK Vojvodina is a football club from Novi Sad, Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian SuperLiga. FK Vojvodina is the third oldest football club in Serbia's SuperLiga, after OFK Beograd which was founded in 1911 and FK Javor which was founded in 1912.-History:FK Vojvodina was founded...
, which helped win its second national title
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
, in the 1988–89 season, with four goals in 24 matches.
In 1990, Jokanović joined Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
's FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
. In his second year, he helped the club win the domestic cup
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup, officially the Marshal Tito Cup, was one of two major football competitions in the former Yugoslavia, the other one being the Yugoslav League Championship. The Yugoslav Cup took place after the league championships when every competitive league in Yugoslavia had finished, in order...
and, in his third, he scored an impressive 13 league goals (a career-best), being one of several players to score in double digits - the team scored 103 in 36 games - en route to the league conquest.
After impressive displays at Partizan, Jokanović signed for Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. During his two-year spell, he partnered compatriots Janko Janković
Janko Janković
Janko Janković ia a retired Croatian footballer who played as a forward.-Football career:After playing in his country with NK Solin, HNK Hajduk Split , RNK Split and NK Rijeka, 25-year old Janković moved to Spain, where he would remain for nearly one full decade until his retirement.He started at...
, Nikola Jerkan
Nikola Jerkan
Nikola Jerkan is a former football defender from Croatia.Jerkan was born in Split and started playing football professionally for NK Zagreb. In 1983 he moved to Dinamo Vinkovci where he would spend three years before moving to Hajduk Split in 1986. In 1988 he started playing for the first team and...
and Robert Prosinečki
Robert Prosinecki
Robert Prosinečki is a Croatian football manager and former football midfielder. Prosinečki is regarded by many as the player with best technique that ever played in and for Croatia. Former national squad teammate Zvonimir Boban, humbly, also agreed with this. His dribbling is considered...
. Subsequently, he joined fellow La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
side CD Tenerife
CD Tenerife
Club Deportivo Tenerife, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in Tenerife . Founded in 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B, holding home matches at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, with a 24,000-seat capacity.-History:Club Deportivo Tenerife was founded in...
, being instrumental in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
' domestic consolidation.
In the 1999 summer, aged 31, Jokanović signed for Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
, forming a physical midfield partnership with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ians Mauro Silva
Mauro Silva
Mauro da Silva Gomes , simply Silva, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder....
and Donato Gama da Silva
Donato Gama da Silva
Donato Gama da Silva , simply Donato, is a retired Brazilian-born Spanish footballer during the 1990s and early 2000s....
- the trio combined for 85 games and five goals - as the Galicians won its first ever league title.
After only one season with Depor, Jokanović signed with Premier League Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
in October 2000, for £
Pound sign
The pound sign is the symbol for the pound sterling—the currency of the United Kingdom . The same symbol is used for similarly named currencies in some other countries and territories, such as the Irish pound, Gibraltar pound, Australian pound and the Italian lira...
1.7 million. He appeared relatively for the Blues during two seasons and was released in July 2002 at nearly 34, and hung up his boots in the Spanish second division
Segunda División
The Segunda División is the lower tier of the two professional football leagues in Spain. From the season 2008-09 onwards, the name of the league is Liga Adelante.-History:...
with Ciudad de Murcia
Ciudad de Murcia
Club de Fútbol Atlético Ciudad was a Spanish football club based in Murcia, in the autonomous community of Murcia. Founded in 2007, it played its last season in Segunda División B , holding home matches at Estadio Juan de la Cierva, with a 1,600-seat capacity.-History:On June 6, 2007, Ciudad de...
, playing just three months.
Jokanović was living in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
when he joined, in September 2007, the technical staff of third division
Tercera División
Tercera División is the fourth level of the Spanish football league system. The top three are the Primera División, often referred to as "La Liga" in English, the Segunda División, and Segunda División B.-Current Format:...
team Club Atlético de Pinto
CA Pinto
Club Atlético de Pinto is a Spanish football team based in Pinto, in the autonomous community of Madrid. Founded in 1963, it plays in Tercera División - Group 7, holding home matches at Estadio Amelia del Castillo, which has a capacity of 2,500 spectators....
. However, three months later, he became the head coach of Partizan, replacing Miroslav Đukić, who left to take the reins of the national side. His family (wife and three children) remained in the Spanish capital.
In May 2008, under Jokanović's management, Partizan won the double (league
Serbian Superliga
Serbian SuperLiga is a Serbian professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Serbian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Serbian First League...
and cup
Serbian Cup
The Serbian Cup is the national football cup of Serbia. For sponsorship reasons it is referred to in the media as Lav Cup of Serbia since 2007.The winner of the competition gets a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying round.-Sponsorship:...
). He was also selected as the year's "Best Coach in Serbia" by the Serbian FA
Football Association of Serbia
The Football Association of Serbia is the governing body of football in Serbia, based in Belgrade. It organizes Serbian football leagues, namely the Serbian Superliga, the Serbia national football team, as well as the Second Leagues....
, but refused to receive this award due to Partizan's poor results in the UEFA Cup group stage.
In his first full season, Jokanović led Partizan to another double, winning the league with 19 points in advance to former club Vojvodina; thus, he became the first coach in the club's history to successfully defend the accolades. On 5 September 2009, however, he left the post, by mutual consent, bidding farewell to the club through an open letter.
International career
Jokanović played six times for YugoslaviaYugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
, his debut coming on 27 February 1991 in a friendly with Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
, playing the last 10 minutes in the place of Željko Petrović
Željko Petrovic
Željko Petrović is a retired Montenegrin footballer and was the technical coach of Feyenoord Rotterdam in the 2004/2005 season.-Club career:...
. He then appeared in some UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying matches, helping the national team top its group - although it would eventually be prevented from taking part in the final stages in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, due to the Yugoslav Wars
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
.
Jokanović represented Serbia and Montenegro in a further 58 matches, appearing for the nation at the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and Euro 2000. In the former competition, he played in four complete matches as the national side reached the round of 16. In the latter, he appeared three times, being sent off
Ejection (sports)
In sports, an ejection is one of several disqualifying actions assessed to a player or coach by a game official , usually for unsportsmanlike conduct....
against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
in a 3–4 loss, with the team also reaching the last-eight stage.