Ilija Petković

Serbian footballer (1945–2020)

Ilija Petković (, ; 22 September 1945 – 27 June 2020) was a Serbian footballer and manager. Petković was capped 43 times for Yugoslavia, participating in the 1968 European Football Championship, and in the 1974 FIFA World Cup where he scored a goal in a huge 9–0 win against Zaire. He played much of his career in OFK Beograd, with a mid career stint playing for Troyes. He began his coaching career in 1990 with his original club, OFK Beograd, and he went on to coach numerous other clubs. Initially starting as an assistant, Petković coached his national team from 2000 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2006 – including most notably the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

When Petković left his hometown Knin for the capital city Belgrade, he had not yet decided if he wanted to play football professionally because, in addition to training and playing with OFK Beograd, he simultaneously enrolled in and eventually completed the Economics college. He signed his first professional contract with OFK in 1964. Though the club was even then in the constant shadow of its big city rivals Red Star Belgrade and Partizan, it still managed to put in many memorable league campaigns as well as to win the 1965–66 Yugoslav Cup with a 6–2 final thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb. In 1972, Petković played as a guest for Uruguayan side Peñarol where he suffered a fracture caused by Nacional defender Juan Mujica.

According to the strictly enforced sporting rules of communist Yugoslavia, no player was allowed to play for clubs outside the country before reaching the age of 28. Petković was no different and had to wait until 1973 to complete a move to Troyes AF where he spent three seasons.

His second stint with OFK started in 1976 after returning from France at the age of 31. Even at the twilight of his career Petković managed to be an important contributor to the team. He played until 1983, retiring from the game close to the age of 38. Unfortunately, this time around the team's overall performance wasn't as glowing as was the case during Petković's first stint. They constantly hovered around the relegation zone and couldn't avoid the drop in 1979–80 season meaning that Petković played the 1980–81 campaign in Yugoslav Second League. They quickly gained promotion at the end of that year and played two more seasons in the top flight before being relegated again after 1982–83, Petković's last playing season.

Petković debuted for Yugoslavia on 24 April 1968, at the age of 22 when Yugoslavia hosted France at Belgrade's Partizan Stadium in the second leg of the qualifying round quarter final. The score from the first leg eighteen days earlier in Marseille was 1–1 and qualification was at stake but Petković scored his first goal in the national team just three minutes in, before adding another one in the 33rd minute as Yugoslavia won 5–1. FR Yugoslavia exited the tournament in the Round of 16 to the Netherlands which was labelled a disappointing result, leading Santrač and the entire coaching staff (including Petković) to resign after the tournament. Petković started off well with a 2–1 away win in a friendly against Northern Ireland and a 2–0 win against Luxembourg in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier. As the Football Association was getting ready to choose a new president in January 2001, Petković resigned from his post citing the departure of outgoing FA president Miljan Miljanić as the reason.

In July 2003, Petković was named as the head coach of the Serbia and Montenegro national team by FA president Dragan Stojković. Petković managed to lead the team through 2006 World Cup qualifying in impressive fashion, with Serbia and Montenegro allowing only one goal in twelve matches. However, the team's showing at the World Cup final tournament in Germany was disastrous, with three losses from three matches including a 0–6 defeat at the hands of Argentina. Furthermore, Petković caused controversy ahead of the tournament when he named his son Dušan in the final squad as a replacement for the injured Mirko Vučinić, a move that triggered widespread outrage and condemnation. Dragan Stojković (at this time the president of Red Star Belgrade) criticized Petković publicly. Faced with the barrage of criticism, Petković's son withdrew from the squad which meant that, since the squad list was already submitted, FIFA didn't allow a replacement to be named so Serbia and Montenegro ended up being the only nation at the World Cup with 22 players in the squad instead of 23. In late December 2009, Petković accused Stojković of starting the media smear campaign against him back in late May 2006 before the World Cup. Petković claimed that he refused to name some Red Star players in the final squad that the club was looking to sell at a better price by having them showcased at the World Cup, all of which prompted Stojković's ire, with Stojković denying the claims.

Petković died on 27 June 2020, in Belgrade after being hospitalized with a duodenal ulcer and becoming infected with COVID 19 amid the COVID 19 pandemic in Serbia. He is interred in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens in the Belgrade New Cemetery.