The world of football continues to mourn after a Serbian Super League manager died suddenly at the age of 44 following a heart attack during a match on Sunday evening.
Players and staff from Radnicki 1923 struggled to contain their emotions during a memorial service on Wednesday for their manager, Mladen Zizovic.
The 44-year-old coach collapsed during Monday's Serbian SuperLiga encounter and died while being transported to the hospital.
Photographs from the commemoration ceremony showed team members attempting to compose themselves as they paid their respects to the Bosnian national who had recently taken charge at the club.
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The gathering marked a sombre moment for the football community as they honoured their late manager's memory.
Mladen Zizovic experienced medical distress 22 minutes into the Serbian SuperLiga encounter between Radnicki 1923 and Mladost Lucani, having been observed giving tactical instructions to his squad moments before his collapse.
Medical personnel attended to the 44-year-old on the sidelines before transferring him to an ambulance for urgent hospital transport.
The Bosnian national died during the journey, with the devastating news reaching the stadium as the second half had just commenced.
Players and staff from Radnicki 1923 struggled to contain their emotions during a memorial service on Wednesday for their manager
|Upon learning of their manager's death, players from both teams dropped to their knees, with several struggling to hold back tears, prompting officials to abandon the match immediately.
Former Bosnia international Mehmed Cosic, who plays for Radnicki 1923, shared his account of the tragic events with Faktor, revealing he remained awake until 3.30am processing the trauma.
Cosic said: "I'm replaying the movie in my head. He was giving me instructions, turned around, and at one point I saw that he was talking to the referee by the benches."
The player described how Zizovic approached the team bench, where he said: "I'm not feeling well, I'm not feeling well."
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The Serbian club posted a touching message on Instagram following the memorial service, describing Zizovic as an "exceptional sportsman" who made a profound impression during his brief time at Kragujevac.
"His calmness, dedication and love for football will remain in our memories forever," the club stated in their tribute.
Mladen Zizovic pictured on the touchline moments before his tragic death | XZizovic had been in charge for merely three matches since his appointment on October 23.
The club expressed appreciation to all who attended the memorial and offered support during this difficult period.
Training sessions were suspended for the week, and the team's upcoming weekend fixture was postponed to allow players and staff adequate time to grieve.
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