--- title: "Shock in Belgrade: Dejan Stanković Resigns After Champions League Qualification Failure" description: "🇷🇸 SHOCK IN BELGRADE! Dejan Stanković has resigned as head coach of Red Star Belgrade following elimination by Hapoel. 📉 The club's General Director admitted the fiasco and announced extraordinary board elections. 🤬 Fans booed the coach after the match, to which he responded with a gesture. ⏳ A new coach must be found by Friday. #RedStarBelgrade #Stankovic #Football #ChampionsLeague" date: 2026-08-12T15:28:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/shock-in-belgrade-stankovich-resigns-after-champions-league-qualification-failure tags: [crvena-zvezda, dejan-stankovich, champions-league, serbian-football, hapoel] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Shock in Belgrade: Dejan Stanković Resigns After Champions League Qualification Failure ![Coach Dejan Stankovic at Europa League press conference after Champions League qualifying failure](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/12/stankovich-ustupka-krasno-belie/stankovich-ustupka-krasno-belie-1.webp) ## 🎯 Key Points - Dejan Stanković voluntarily resigned after elimination by Hapoel. - The club's General Director admitted the worst performance in history and announced elections. - A new coach must be found by midnight this coming Friday. - Stanković responded with a gesture to fans who booed him after the match. A major scandal has erupted in the Serbian football world. Legendary coach Dejan Stanković has officially left his post as head coach of Red Star Belgrade. This decision followed the team's catastrophic elimination by Israeli side Hapoel in the Champions League qualifiers. Events unfolded rapidly: from loud booing from the stands to an emergency board meeting. ### Political Crisis in the Club The situation within the red-and-white camp has spiraled out of control. General Director Zvezdan Terzić, commenting to Meridian Sport, admitted the season was a total failure. According to him, he cannot recall a worse performance in Red Star's history. Terzić was not afraid to state that even he, sitting in the stands, would have demanded the resignation of the management and the coach. As a measure to resolve the crisis and respond to fan demands, the club announced extraordinary board elections to be held in December 2026. ### On-Field Scandal and Harsh Fan Reaction Dejan Stanković's final match as head coach ended not just in defeat, but in an open conflict with the fans. As the specialist headed to the locker room after the loss, he was met with loud booing. Stanković did not remain silent in the face of critics and gestured to the fans to be even louder. This specific episode became the last straw, prompting the coach to resign voluntarily without waiting for an order from the management. ### Search for a New Leader and Deadline Despite the massive political reset, the sporting agenda requires an immediate solution. The Red Star Belgrade management has set a strict deadline: the name of the new head coach must be officially announced by midnight this coming Friday. Negotiations with candidates are underway non-stop. Fans have already received official apologies from management for the European failure, but now all attention is focused on who can restore the club's reputation. ### Stanković's Legacy: From Triumph to Fiasco Dejan Stanković took charge of the Belgrade collective for the second time in 2025. The previous season under his leadership was triumphant: the team secured the golden double, winning the Serbian Championship and the National Cup. Additionally, Stanković managed to lead the team to the Europa League play-offs. However, he failed to secure a spot in the group stage of the main European competition this time, which became the reason for his departure. ## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification - [Red Star Belgrade announces the dismissal of Dejan Stanković as head coach](https://www.championat.com/football/news-6579518-crvena-zvezda-obyavila-ob-uvolnenii-deyana-stankovicha-s-posta-glavnogo-trenera.html) - Подтверждает факт увольнения/отставки Станковича. - [Did Stanković turn on Spartak? Analyzing how the Serb is doing after his dismissal](https://www.sovsport.ru/football/articles/stankovich-nakinul-na-spartak-razbiraem-kak-idut-dela-u-serba-posle-uvolneniya) - Подтверждает контекст увольнения и дальнейшие события. ## ❓ FAQ ### Q: Why did Dejan Stanković leave Red Star Belgrade? **A:** The reason was the failure in the Champions League qualifiers, where the team lost to Israeli side Hapoel. ### Q: When will the new coach be appointed? **A:** The club management has committed to naming the new coach by midnight this coming Friday. ### Q: Was Stanković fired or did he leave voluntarily? **A:** Stanković resigned voluntarily, although the club management also admitted the fiasco.