There is no going back. Zeljko Obradovic leaves Partizan Belgrade. Neither public demonstrations of support from a dedicated fan base nor the club board’s insistence on reconsidering its decision to resign had any effect. True to his word, as always in his career, the Champion of Champions, the most successful coach in Europe with nine Euroleague titles, leaves the club of his life due to poor sporting results and his distance from a locker room that he feels no longer follows him. At Partizan Belgrade he began a unique career on the bench, when he went from player to coach overnight in 1991 to win the European Cup in his first season, and in the warmth of the house he may have put an end to his career. At 65, after 34 years on the board, the circle has closed.
“Obradovic has received full and unequivocal support to continue his work and take all necessary measures for the black and white team to overcome the current crisis of play and results,” Partizan explained on Saturday. “The meeting lasted more than two hours, with an open discussion on all the problems and possible solutions. Despite a series of constructive proposals that included possible reductions to the squad, Zeljko Obradovic, although he thanked everyone for their words of support, did not change his decision and will no longer play the role of coach of the Black and White team. The former Black and White coach remained committed to his decision not to withdraw his resignation given that he does not see himself working with the current team, as well as the impact that it has had on his health. Daily work at this level.”
Partizan and its fans held their breath in the last hours due to the earthquake that affected Obradovic’s future. On Tuesday, Partizan fell in the Euroleague to Panathinaikos with a score of 91-69, which was the ninth defeat in 13 rounds of the competition and the seventh in the last eight rounds. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back and prompted the veteran Serbian coach to submit his “irrevocable resignation,” as he himself expressed in a letter he addressed to fans on Wednesday and published on the club’s website, accompanied by a video honoring his career.
The uproar was so great among the fans to prevent Al-Maboud’s departure that the board of directors, which met on Thursday morning, decided to reject the resignation and ask the coach to remain on the bench, thus strengthening his authority. A few hours later, Nikola Tesla’s airport became the center of a demonstration in which about 2,000 of his followers awaited Obradovic’s arrival from Athens and hailed him as their god. Zeljko left the scene accompanied by security personnel and was visibly touched by this display of affection. Certainly there is no figure in the world of basketball capable of generating such mobilization.
“Leaving is a very considered decision, but when a fan takes control of the airport of a city like Belgrade to ask you not to leave…” a person very close to Obradovic told this newspaper of the doubts the gesture aroused in the wise old man. His head told him to remain firm in his decision, as he had done so many times throughout his career, but his heart skipped a beat. On Friday morning, he met for two hours with Partizan party directors, but in the end he insisted on his resignation.
His farewell is accompanied by the departure of Zoran Savic as sporting director, also at the entity since 2021 in which Zeljko returned to his origins after 30 years. He then signed a three-season contract that was extended in 2024 for two more seasons, always with Catalan Josep Maria Izquierdo as his assistant. The quarterfinals of Euroleague 2023, in which they lost to Real Madrid after dominating the series 2-0, was the closest they came to fighting for the Euroleague as they have won it nine times: Partizan 1992, Joventut 94, Madrid 95, Panathinaikos 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011, and Fenerbahce 2017. But the difference with those chasing him is very small: four overall titles: Aleksandar Gomelskiy, Pedro Ferrandez, Bozidar Maljkovic, and Ettore Messina. Partizan bid him farewell with honors: “The void he leaves will never be filled. Partizan’s doors are forever open to Zeljko Obradović and Partizan will always be his home.”