Dribble, 12.3/Video editing: Ziv Steiner
Krasnodar unexpectedly announced this morning (Wednesday) the dismissal of Vladan Ivić.
The former Maccabi Tel Aviv coach is ranked second in the table with 39 points after 20 rounds - only one point below the leading Zenit, yet his team chose to part with him.
"Krasnodar thanks Ivić for his work and wishes him success in his future career and in life," the club said.
In recent weeks, Krasnodar has experienced a professional crisis, which includes a 1:1 against Kazan, a 2:1 loss to Rostov, and last night a 2:0 loss to Khimki in the cup.
Rumors about a possible departure of the coach began, and according to the Russian media, the fact that the club has the best defense in the league (conceding only 17 goals), is not enough: "Krasnodar has lost its offensive identity."
Still, Russia criticized the reckless move.
"Yes, 1 for 6 in the last few games is disappointing, but if not for one corner against Kazan, Krasnodar would still be first. Should one mistake ruin Ivić's great year in Russia? If so, that's bad news for the management - with such patience , you can forget about the championship. Firing Ivic is a bad decision. He is the one who put the club in the championship race, even though for a moment the team was not considered the favorite."
Where to now?
Ivich/Official website, Krasnodar
Ivić (46), who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to two consecutive championships in 2018/19 and 2019/20, returned to the club in the summer of 2022 but left in January for a big contract in the Russian league.
Last year he finished sixth in the table.
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Vladan Ivic