Belgrade, YUGOSLAVIA, January 29 (Sportski Zurnal/Reuters) - Ilija Petkovic has resigned as Yugoslavia football coach, leaving the way clear for Ljubisa
Tumbakovic to take over.
Petkovic told local reporters of his decision on Sunday
evening after the team's 2-0 Millennium Cup victory over Bosnia
in India, the daily Sportski Zurnal reported.
"My resignation is a moral act, I don't want to carry on
with a new Yugoslav Football Association (FSJ) leadership,"
Petkovic was quoted as saying.
The FSJ said on Monday Petkovic's contract included a clause
saying that he would stay manager only as long as the present
leadership remained in office.
The FSJ is to elect a new leadership on February 18 as
current President Miljan Miljanic and Secretary General Branko
Bulatovic have said they will step down and not stand for
re-election.
"A new age requires new people. Some people think the
present leadership hasn't done a good job but they are wrong. I
don't want to stay with a new one as we surely have different
visions for the future," he said.
Petkovic, a former Yugoslav international, said his decision
was not primarily motivated by a lucrative offer from China but
admitted money was an issue at this stage of his career as a
manager.
"I am 56 years old and I know that now is the time to cash
in on my hard work. The offer from China's first division side
Shanghai wasn't the most important reason but it certainly
played a part," he said.
Petkovic took over after Yugoslavia's disappointing Euro
2000 campaign wich ended in a 6-1 second-round defeat by the
Netherlands.
His resignation surprised few people after media
speculation, but it came at a delicate moment and after only one
competitive match in charge, a 2-0 World Cup 2002 qualifying win
over Luxembourg.
It means the new FSJ leadership will have only a few weeks
to choose a new coach before crucial World Cup qualifiers
against Switzerland and Slovenia in March.
But one of the candidates said he was ready to take over.
"Being a national team coach is an honour you don't turn
down," said Partizan Belgrade's coach Tumbakovic, widely tipped
by the media and soccer officials as Petkovic's successor.
"I wouldn't mind managing Partizan and Yugoslavia at the
same time, but it's up to my club to agree and the FSJ to offer
me the job," he said after learning that Petkovic had stepped
down.
Partizan's officials have made it clear they would allow
Tumbakovic to stay in charge of Partizan while managing
Yugoslavia at the same time.
"He is an ideal national team coach and running Partizan at
the same time would be in the best interest of Yugoslav
football," said the club's director Nenad Bjekovic.
