Slavoljub Muslin
Encyclopedia
Slavoljub Muslin is a Serbian football manager and a former player who currently manages FC Krasnodar
FC Krasnodar
FC Krasnodar is a Russian association football club from Krasnodar. In 2009 the club was promoted to the Russian First Division, the second highest division of the Russian football league system despite finishing Zone South of Second Division as 3rd. In 2009 club finished as 10th...

. He began his head coaching career in 1988 and has since had stints in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

, Serbia-Montenegro, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

.

Prior to that, Muslin was a notable football player. He played as a defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for several clubs, being the most important Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...

 and later Lille OSC
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...

.

Playing career

Born to Croatian father Duje Muslin (from Split) and Serbian mother (from Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...

), Slavoljub Muslin was born and raised in Belgrade where he started playing football with OFK Beograd
OFK Beograd
Omladinski fudbalski klub Beograd, commonly referred to as OFK Beograd , is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia, more precisely from the Karaburma urban neighborhood. It currently is the oldest team playing in the Serbian SuperLiga. The name means "Youth Football Club Belgrade" in Serbian...

, continuing on in BASK
FK BASK Beograd
FK BASK is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It is one of the oldest clubs in Serbia. The club currently competes in the Serbian First League .-Formation of the Club:...

, and FK Rad
FK Rad
FK Rad is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. It plays at Stadion Kralj Petar I, which is located in the southern part of the city's Banjica neighbourhood....

 before transferring to Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...

.

Muslin was a defensive stalwart for Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...

 in the 1970s. Throughout his 6 years at Marakana he played alongside some of the club's biggest stars like Dragan Džajić
Dragan Džajic
Dragan Džajić is widely considered to have been one of the best Serbian football players to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation...

, Vladislav Bogićević
Vladislav Bogicevic
Vladislav Bogićević is a Serbian former football player. He is a member of the American National Soccer Hall of Fame.-Club career:...

, Jovan Aćimović
Jovan Acimovic
Jovan “Kule” Aćimović is a former Serbian football player.On the national level he played for Yugoslavia national team , and was a participant at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, and at Euro 1968 and Euro 1976.- References : at Reprezentacija.rs....

, Vladimir Petrović, Dušan Savić
Dušan Savic
Dušan "Dule" Savić is a Serbian former football player.He started playing football in the local side Jedinstvo Ub in his home town.-Club career:...

, among others. He has won three championship titles with Red Star and finished as runner up in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 in 1978-79 losing the final
1979 UEFA Cup Final
The 1979 UEFA Cup Final was played on May 9, 1979 and May 23, 1979 between Red Star Belgrade of SFR Yugoslavia and Borussia Mönchengladbach of Germany. Mönchengladbach won 2-1 on aggregate.-First Leg:-Second Leg:-References:*...

 to Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...

.

In 1981, he moved on to Lille OSC
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...

 and eventually finished his career with Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29 is a French football club based in Brest. The club was founded in 1903 under the name Armoricaine de Brest and adopted its current name in 1950...

.

Stade Brestois

Muslin began coaching in 1988 at the same club he ended his playing career in - Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29
Stade Brestois 29 is a French football club based in Brest. The club was founded in 1903 under the name Armoricaine de Brest and adopted its current name in 1950...

 - staying there until 1992. For the last two years of his tenure he had David Ginola
David Ginola
David Karl Ginola is a French former international football player who has also worked as an actor and model.Ginola was born in Gassin, Var...

 in the squad.

Pau and Bordeaux

Muslin spent the next three seasons at Pau FC
Pau FC
Pau FC is a French football club based in Pau. The team, founded in 1904 as Bleuets Notre-Dame de Pau, are currently competing in the CFA, the fourth tier of French football. They play at the Stade du Hameau. The team plays in a yellow and blue strip....

 before moving on to Girondins de Bordeaux in summer 1995. With a potent squad of quality up-and-coming players like Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu
Bixente Lizarazu is a former football left defender who played most notably for Girondins de Bordeaux and Bayern Munich, as well as the French national team.-Football career:...

, Christophe Dugarry as well as superstar-in-the-making Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...

, Muslin led the team on a great run in the 1995-96
UEFA Cup 1995-96
The UEFA Cup 1995-96 was won by Bayern Munich on aggregate over Bordeaux. Girondins de Bordeaux went to the finals all the way from the UEFA Intertoto Cup 1995....

 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 ensuring progression to the quarterfinals before winter break 1995/96. He was sacked during spring 1996 due to poor domestic league form, which meant that he didn't get to lead the team in the UEFA Cup quarterfinals where the Girondins eliminated the favourites AC Milan and later made it to the final
1996 UEFA Cup Final
The 1996 UEFA Cup Final was played on May 1, 1996 and May 15, 1996 between Bayern Munich of Germany and FC Girondins de Bordeaux of France. Bayern Munich won the two matches 5–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:...

 where they lost to a Bayern Munich team featuring the likes of Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Matthäus
Lothar Herbert Matthäus , is a German football manager and former player.In 1990, he was named European Footballer of the Year and World Soccer Player of the Year after captaining West Germany to victory in the 1990 World Cup...

, Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...

, Oliver Kahn
Oliver Kahn
Oliver Rolf Kahn is a former German football goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team. He had his debut game in the professional squad in 1987...

, Markus Babbel
Markus Babbel
Markus Babbel is a former international German football player, who is currently manager of German Bundesliga club Hertha BSC. He played as a defender for clubs in Germany and England.-Career:...

, etc.

Lens

RC Lens
RC Lens
Racing Club de Lens is a French association football club based in the northern city of Lens in the Pas-de-Calais department. Its nickname, sang et or , comes from its traditional colours of red and gold. Their primary rivals are their northern neighbors Lille OSC, whom they contest the Derby du...

 became Muslin's home in the summer of 1996. He coached the team in 1996/97 season before getting the axe on March 11, 1997.

Le Mans

He went to Le Mans UC72
Le Mans UC72
Le Mans Football Club is a French association football club based in Le Mans. The club was founded in 1985 as a result of a merger under the name Le Mans Union Club 72. In 2010, Le Mans changed its name to Le Mans FC to coincide with the re-modeling of the club, which includes moving into a new...

 in the summer of 1997, but got the axe there couple of months into the season during November 1997.

Casablanca

He changed clubs during the 1998/99 season, moving to coaching the Moroccan side Raja Casablanca.

Red Star Belgrade

His old club Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...

 came calling in late summer 1999. Muslin took over the reins on September 20, in difficult circumstances after Miloljub Ostojić got sacked because of poor league form and embarrassing 0-1 first leg "home" loss (match was played in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...

 due to air traffic embargo impossed on FR Yugoslavia following the NATO bombing that ended couple of months earlier) to Montpellier HSC
Montpellier HSC
Montpellier Hérault Sport Club is a French association football club based in the city of Montpellier. The club was founded in 1919 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Montpellier plays its home matches at the Stade de la Mosson, located within the city...

 in UEFA Cup first round. Though he couldn't lead his squad past the French team in the second leg (his first match in charge), Muslin won the domestic double (league & cup) at the end of the season in an impressive fashion.

He won the league again next season, but lost in the cup final to bitter rivals 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...

.

He resigned his post on September 30, 2001, six weeks into the 2001-02 league season. The specific reason was never given, but it is widely believed it had to do with the ongoing simmering row with striker Mihailo Pjanović that came to a head during the Champions League 3rd round qualifying tie when Muslin dropped the 24-year-old forward and Red Star ended up losing 0-3 to Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen is a German football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the most well-known department of TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen, a sports club whose members also participate in athletics, gymnastics, basketball and other sports.-Origins and early years:On 27 November...

.

Levski

Muslin was not without a job for too long as in late March 2002 Levski Sofia sacked their coach Rüdiger Abramczik
Rüdiger Abramczik
Rüdiger Abramczik is a former German football player and coach, best known for his ability to cross the ball ....

 mid-season and offered the job to the Serbian who promptly steered the team to the league and cup double in May. He was sacked in April 2003 as Levski was trailing the leaders by 8 points in the domestic league. The team went on to win the National Cup under the management of Georgi Todorov.

Red Star, again

In June 2003, Red Star came calling again after two seasons under coach Zoran Filipović
Zoran Filipovic
Zoran Filipović was a player of great success in the 1970s and 1980s for Red Star Belgrade and SL Benfica...

. By the following spring Muslin brought his third title to the club as a coach, though just like in 2000/01 couldn't pull the double, this time losing the Cup final to Sartid Smederevo
FK Smederevo
Fudbalski klub Smederevo is a Serbian professional football club based in the city of Smederevo.-History:...

. The split from Red Star was again full of controversy. After winning the title, Muslin reportedly wanted more say in the club's transfer policy, essentially calling for his coaching role to be expanded into what club managers in England do. Red Star president Dragan Džajić
Dragan Džajic
Dragan Džajić is widely considered to have been one of the best Serbian football players to emerge from former Yugoslavia. Regarded as a preeminent and very proficient left winger, he is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest European players of his generation...

 would have none of it and a huge row erupted. At one point, usually calm and collected Džajić exploded in the media calling Muslin "the worst person he's ever met".

Metalurh

The next stop for Muslin in summer 2004 became Ukraine's Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk
FC Metalurh Donetsk is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Donetsk. The club currently plays in the Ukrainian Premier League.- Pre-history :...

, which he coached fairly successfully for the better part of 2004/05 domestic league season
Ukrainian Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 Ukrainian Premier League season was the fourteenth since its establishment.The season started on July 15, 2004 with all eight games of the first round. The last day of the competition was June 16, 2005. Shakhtar Donetsk has managed to win its second champion's title place ahead of the...

. He resigned his post on March 8, 2005, citing differences in opinion over the vision for the team's immediate future as the reason. His departure came after league matchday 17 with Metalurh occupying the 3rd spot in Vyscha Liha
Ukrainian Premier League
The Ukrainian Premier League is the highest division of Ukrainian annual football championship. As the Supreme League it was founded in 1991 after the fold of the Soviet Union's Vysshaya Liga. In 2008 it was reformed into a more autonomous entity of the Football Federation of Ukraine and changed...

. Simultaneously, Muslin also led the team in 2004/05
UEFA Cup 2004-05
The 2004–05 UEFA Cup season was won by CSKA Moscow, coming from behind in the final against Sporting Clube de Portugal. It was the first win by a Russian side in any European competition, and was even more impressive considering that the final was held at the José Alvalade Stadium, the home of...

 UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...

 - with much less distinguished outcome - after successfully overcoming the qualifying stage, Metalurh was demolished by SS Lazio (0-6 on aggregate).

Lokeren

Then came Belgian side Lokeren between May and December 2005.

Lokomotiv

In December 2005, Muslin was appointed as coach of Lokomotiv Moscow. With star forward Dmitri Sychev
Dmitri Sychev
Dmitri Yevgenyevich Sychev is an association footballer. His last name is also transcribed as Sytchev, and his first name as Dmitry or Dmitriy. He has been hailed by the international press as "The Russian Michael Owen" because of his pace and as "The most sensational young Russian forward since...

 as the team's undisputed leader on the pitch, Lokomotiv started the Russian League
Russian Premier League
The Russian Premier League , currently called SOGAZ Russian Football Championship due to sponsorship reasons, is the top division of Russian football. There are 16 teams in the competition...

 2006 season
Russian Premier League 2006
Russian Premier League 2006 was the 15th season of Russian Football Championship, and 5th under the current Russian Premier League name. The league was won by defending champions CSKA Moscow. Torpedo Moscow and Shinnik were relegated...

 in great fashion, jumping ahead early to the top of the table and going on an 18-match unbeaten streak at one point. Closely pursued by CSKA Moscow, Lokomotiv kept holding on to the top league spot until mid-October when a string of indifferent results saw them surrender it. Muslin was already under the gun following his team's elimination in UEFA Cup's first round to Belgian side S.V. Zulte Waregem, and after giving up the league leading position, he was promptly fired in October 2006.

Lokeren, again

On November 26, 2006, Muslin's return to Lokeren bench was announced. He arrived at the club in the middle of a bad run of results that prompted previous coach Ariël Jacobs
Ariël Jacobs
Ariël Jacobs is a Belgian former football player and is currently active as the coach of Anderlecht.-Honours as a Manager:La Louvière* Belgian Cup : 2002-2003Anderlecht* Belgian Cup : 2007-2008...

' departure with Lokeren in 13th league spot. However, Muslin failed to raise the team's form and Lokeren barely avoided relegation, finishing the Belgian Jupiler League 2006/07 campaign
Jupiler League 2006-07
The 2006-07 season of the Belgian First Division began on July 28, 2006 and concluded on May 19, 2007. The championship was decided in the penultimate round on May 12, 2007, when Anderlecht moved five points clear of runners-up Genk to retain the title and win their 29th League Championship...

 in 16th spot (out of 18 teams). During the summer 2007, Muslin was replaced with Georges Leekens.

Khimki

On September 7, 2007, Muslin was announced as the new coach of FC Khimki
FC Khimki
FC Khimki is a Russian association football club based in Khimki.-History:The team was formed in 1996 by merging two amateur clubs from Khimki, Rodina, and Novator. Khimki entered the amateur league and played their first official match on 17 May 1996. Of more than 150 amateur teams in the...

. At the time of his arrival following matchday 23 of the 2007 season
Russian Premier League 2007
Russian Premier League 2007 was the 16th official season of Rosgosstrakh Russian Football Championship, and 6th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started with the match between Luch-Energia and Moskva in Vladivostok on Saturday, 10 March 2007, at 18:00 local time...

, the team was occupying 11th league spot, only three points out of the relegation zone. Under his guidance, Khimki finished the season in 9th spot, five points out of the relegation zone. In the 2008 season
Russian Premier League 2008
The Russian Premier League 2008 was the 17th edition of the Russian Football Championship, and the seventh under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started on Friday, 14 March 2008 with a match between Terek and Krylia Sovetov in Grozny. Krylia Sovetov won 3–0...

 after matchday 5 Khimki occupied the 16th spot out of 16 after 0-4 defeat from Rubin Kazan. On 14 April 2008, Muslin was fired.

Minsk

On 17 September 2008 was named as the new Head Coach of FC Dynamo Minsk just ten months later on 27 July 2009 was fired again on his career from his job with the Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

ian club.

Anorthosis Famagusta FC

On 7 August 2009 he signed a contract with Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Αnorthosis Famagusta FC is a Cypriot football and volleyball club which is originally based in Famagusta, but is now temporarily based in Larnaca, due to the Turkish invasion. Anorthosis is one of the most successful clubs in Cypriot football, having won 13 league titles, 10 Cypriot Cups and 6...

, one of the most famous Cypriot football club, a year after its fantastic appearances in UEFA Champions League 2008-2009. The Serbian replaced German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 coach Ernst Middendorp
Ernst Middendorp
Ernst Middendorp is a German football manager.- Career :Middendorp coached the South African Castle Premiership team Kaizer Chiefs from the beginning of the 2005/06 season up to March 5, 2007....

. He was released in 2010, due to the elimination of team in the quarterfinals of the cup, although the team was second in the Championship.

Sources

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