Name Slavisa Jokanovic Career end 2004 Years Team Career start 1985 | 1985–1986 Novi Sad Height 1.91 m Current team Fulham (coach) Role Footballer | |
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Date of birth (1968-08-16) 16 August 1968 (age 47) Place of birth Novi Sad, SFR Yugoslavia Team coached Watford F.C. (Manager, 2014–2015) Similar People Eran Zahavi, Quique Sanchez Flores, Oscar Garcia Junyent, Pako Ayestaran, Giuseppe Sannino Profiles | ||
Playing position | ||
Slavisa Jokanovic speaks to the crowd at Watford v Sheffield Weds 020515
Slaviša Jokanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Славиша Јокановић; born 16 August 1968) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played from the late 1980s to early 2000s, and the current manager of English club Fulham.
Contents
- Slavisa Jokanovic speaks to the crowd at Watford v Sheffield Weds 020515
- Welcome slavi a jokanovi
- Club
- International
- International goals
- Managerial career
- Managerial statistics
- Player
- Manager
- References
A physical player, not devoid of skill and with excellent ability in the air, the defensive midfielder impressed at Partizan before spending seven seasons in La Liga with three different clubs, appearing in 208 games and scoring 31 goals, mainly for Tenerife. He also played for two years at Chelsea towards the end of his career, and represented FR Yugoslavia at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, earning 64 caps and scoring ten goals in an eleven-year international career.
Jokanović began his managerial career in 2007, winning two consecutive doubles with Partizan, the 2012 Thai Premier League with Muangthong United and leading Watford to promotion to the Premier League in 2015.
Welcome slavi a jokanovi
Club
Born in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Jokanović started playing with his hometown club FK Novi Sad, and made his senior debut with neighbouring FK Vojvodina, helping it 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 side win the domestic cup and, in his third, he scored an impressive 13 league goals (a career best), being one of several players to net 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 and, subsequently, he joined fellow La Liga side CD Tenerife, being instrumental in its domestic consolidation.
In the 1999 summer, aged 31, Jokanović signed for Deportivo de La Coruña, forming a physical midfield partnership with Brazilians Donato and Mauro Silva – the trio combined for 85 games and five goals – as the Galicians won their first ever league title.
After only one season with Depor, Jokanović signed with Chelsea in October 2000, for £1.7 million. He appeared 39 times for the Blues during two Premier League seasons and was released in July 2002 at nearly 34, hanging up his boots after playing just three months in the Spanish second division with Ciudad de Murcia.
International
Jokanović played six times for Yugoslavia, his debut coming on 27 February 1991 in a friendly with Turkey, when he played the last ten minutes after replacing Željko Petrović. He then appeared in some UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying matches, helping the national team to 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 FR Yugoslavia in a further 58 matches, appearing for the nation at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. In the former competition, he scored his first two international goals in an 8–1 away win over the Faroe Islands in qualification before playing 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 reaching the quarter-finals.
International goals
Scores and results list FR Yugoslavia's goal tally first.Managerial career
Jokanović was living in Madrid when, in September 2007, he joined the technical staff of Tercera División club CA 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 Football Association of Serbia, but refused to receive this award due to Partizan's poor results in the group stage of the UEFA Cup.
Jokanović led Partizan to another double in his first full season, winning the league by a margin of 19 points over former side 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 through an open letter.
On 28 February 2012, Muangthong United F.C. introduced Jokanović as their new head coach, and he signed a one-year contract with an option for a further two years. In his first and only season, he led the team to the third Thai Premier League title in their history, going undefeated in the process.
In mid-July 2013, Jokanović replaced Nikolay Mitov as manager of Bulgarian team PFC Levski Sofia. He was relieved of his duties in October, due to poor results, but club supporters claimed that he should have been given time to change things around.
On 5 May 2014, Spain's Hércules CF confirmed Jokanović as coach until the end of the season, replacing Quique Hernández who had been sacked with the team in last place in the Segunda División table. He only managed one win in his five games in charge, in an eventual relegation.
On 7 October 2014, Jokanović was appointed on a short term contract at the helm of English Championship side Watford, their fourth coach in five weeks. Under his leadership, the Hornets were promoted to the Premier League with one game to spare, sealing it with a 2–0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on 25 April 2015 for their 15th win in 20 games; the team was also minutes away from winning the league title in the final match, but conceded an injury-time equaliser to Sheffield Wednesday that allowed Bournemouth to overtake them. On 5 June 2015, after failing to agree to a new deal, he left and was replaced Quique Sánchez Flores.
On 14 June 2015, Jokanović was appointed as coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC. On 25 August, he led the club to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 11 years, after ousting FC Basel on the away goals rule.
Jokanović lasted just over six months in the role before he elected to return to the Championship, joining Fulham on 27 December 2015. After avoiding relegation by one place, he set a target of top six for his first full season at Craven Cottage.