Radojko "Raddy" Avramović ( sr-Cyrl, Радојко Аврамовић; born 29 November 1949) is a Serbian retired football
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
who played as a
goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
. Avramović most notably played for Croatian club
Rijeka
Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...
and English club
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
as well as internationally for
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
. During his managerial career, Avramović was most notably a long-term manager of
Singapore national team, having also briefly managed
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
and
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
national teams.
Avramović discontinued his law studies two years into university to become a footballer. He began his playing career with
FK Borac Čačak
Fudbalski klub Borac Čačak (), or simply Borac Čačak, is a professional football club based in Čačak, Serbia. The home ground is Čačak Stadium, which has seating capacity of 8,000. As of 2019–20 season, the club competes in third tier Se ...
in the
Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to:
* Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name:
** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...
in 1969. He signed for
Yugoslav First League
The Yugoslav First Federal Football League ( Serbian: Прва савезна лига у фудбалу / ''Prva savezna liga u fudbalu'', hr, Prva savezna liga u nogometu, sl, Prva zvezna nogometna liga, mk, Прва сојузна лига, ...
club
HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka ( en, Croatian Football Club Rijeka), commonly referred to as NK Rijeka or simply Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football, football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka compete in Croatia's top ...
in 1974. As a 1977–78
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...
winner with Rijeka, he played in the
1978–79 Cup Winners' Cup. He won his only international cap with
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
in a
Balkan Cup
The Balkan Cup was an international association football competition contested on and off from 1929 to 1980 by countries from the Balkans region. The most successful team was Romania with four titles.
Overview
The first edition featured Romania, ...
match against
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
on 15 November 1978. He was scouted by
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
manager
Jimmy Sirrel
James Sirrel (2 February 1922 – 25 September 2008) was a Scottish football player and manager; he gained his highest profile in the latter role.
Born in Glasgow, Sirrel began his career with Celtic before moving to England, spending most of ...
, who signed him for a club record £200,000 in 1979 and would later regard Avramović as one of his best players. He contributed with 16 clean sheets as the club was promoted to the
First Division in 1981 in their return to the top flight after 54 years. He made a total of 167 appearances for Notts County before moving to
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
for the
1983–84 season. In 1984, he returned to Yugoslavia with
OFK Belgrade
OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...
where he played his final season, helping them to the Second League East Division title before retiring as a player at the age of 35.
Avramović was placed in charge of
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
's age group teams from 1993 to 1998. In August 1998, he was appointed as assistant coach to
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
, and as coach of their Olympic squad a year later. He guided the
under-23 team through the
Asian qualifiers to the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. Following the departure of
Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts (; born 30 December 1946) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga his whole professional club career and won the FIFA World Cup wi ...
in February 2002, Avramović took over as national coach of Kuwait. He led the senior team to their first
West Asian Games
The West Asian Games (also known as the WAG) was a multi-sport event held every four years among the athletes from West Asia.
The West Asian Games was first organised in Tehran, Iran and was considered as the first of its kind. The success of th ...
title in April, and the under-23 team to the quarter-finals of the
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 ...
in October, which they lost 1–0 to eventual silver medalists
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. His contract was however terminated in December after a poor performance at the
2002 Arab Nations Cup. He led Oman outfit
Muscat Club
Muscat Club () is an Omani sports club based in Muscat, Oman. The club is currently playing in the Oman Professional League, the highest league of the Oman Football Association. Their home ground is Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, but they also r ...
to the
2002-03 Omani League
The hyphen-minus is the most commonly used type of hyphen, widely used in digital documents. It is the only character that looks like a minus sign or a dash in many character sets such as ASCII or on most keyboards, so it is also used as such. ...
title during a six-month stint from February 2003. In July 2003, Avramović was unveiled as coach of the
Singapore national team. He led them to their first international title in the
2004 ASEAN Football Championship, completing a hat-trick of tournament wins with further triumphs in 2007 and 2012. After a decade in Singapore, Avramović stood down as national coach in December 2012. In February 2014, he was appointed as coach of the
Myanmar national team; he stepped down from the position in 2015. He returned to
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
for brief spells with
Al Tadhmon SC and the Kuwait national team in 2017 and 2018 respectively until returning to Singapore in 2019 to manage
Home United
Lion City Sailors Football Club, commonly referred to as The Sailors or LCS, is a Singaporean professional football club competing in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of the Singapore football league system. Since the 2021 season, the ...
. He was forced to retire early into his term due to a serious illness.
Club career
Avramović began his playing career with
Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to:
* Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name:
** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...
club
FK Borac Čačak
Fudbalski klub Borac Čačak (), or simply Borac Čačak, is a professional football club based in Čačak, Serbia. The home ground is Čačak Stadium, which has seating capacity of 8,000. As of 2019–20 season, the club competes in third tier Se ...
in 1969 after discontinuing his law studies two years into university.
[ As he disliked heading the ball, Avramović switched from playing in central defence to the ]goalkeeper
In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...
position. He won the 1972-73 Second League East Division title with the club. In 1974, he signed for First League club HNK Rijeka
Hrvatski nogometni klub Rijeka ( en, Croatian Football Club Rijeka), commonly referred to as NK Rijeka or simply Rijeka, is a Croatian professional association football, football club from the city of Rijeka.
HNK Rijeka compete in Croatia's top ...
where he made 119 league appearances and won the 1977–78 Yugoslav Cup
The 1977–78 Yugoslav Cup was the 30th season of the top football knockout competition in SFR Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav Cup ( sh, Kup Jugoslavije), also known as the "Marshal Tito Cup" (''Kup Maršala Tita''), since its establishment in 1946. It ...
. As Cup winners, Rijeka qualified for the 1978–79 Cup Winners' Cup. In the first round, Rijeka defeated Welsh club Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
3–2 over two legs to advance to the next round. Rijeka were drawn against Belgian outfit K.S.K. Beveren in the second round. After a goalless draw in the home leg, Rijeka conceded two goals in the return leg to exit the competition 2–0 on aggregate.
In 1978, the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
lifted the restriction on foreign players in the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. Avramović was scouted by Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...
manager Jimmy Sirrel
James Sirrel (2 February 1922 – 25 September 2008) was a Scottish football player and manager; he gained his highest profile in the latter role.
Born in Glasgow, Sirrel began his career with Celtic before moving to England, spending most of ...
, who claimed he had found "a goalie who would keep them in the Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
" and persuaded his chairman Jack Dunnet to pay a club record £200,000 for his transfer. Sirrel took Avramović under his personal care, and would later regard the player as one of his best players.[ At the beginning of the player's career at Notts County, there was a social function at which Avramović went around and bought all his new teammates a drink as a friendly gesture. A local reporter saw this and wrote a newspaper article about Avramović being a "boozer" and a "big-time-Charlie". The next time that same reporter went to ]Meadow Lane
Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 2014 until 2017.
It currently h ...
, Sirrel physically caught hold of him and had him thrown off the premises and banned from the ground. The Evening Post had to give the reporter the Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
job whilst the City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,445.
The stadium was a venue when E ...
reporter switched over to Notts County. On 4 August 1979, he played his first competitive game for the club against Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
in an Anglo-Scottish Cup
The Anglo-Scottish Cup was a tournament arranged for teams in the English and Scottish football leagues during the summer for several years during the 1970s. It was created in 1975 as a new incarnation of the Texaco Cup, with a similar format t ...
qualifier. He made his league debut against Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
on 18 August, with his side running out 4–1 winners. The Magpies
Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...
finished 17th in the league in that season but gained promotion to the First Division by claiming the runners-up spot in the 1980–81 season, with Avramović contributing with 16 clean sheets. In the first season of the club's return to the top flight after 54 years, Avramović played in all 42 league games as they defeated Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
2–1 in October and beat defending champions Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
1–0. Avramović made a total of 167 appearances in four seasons for the club.
In 1983, Avramović left for Canada to play for FC Inter-Montréal. Afterwards, Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...
manager Bobby Gould
Robert Hewitt Gould (born 12 June 1946) is an English former footballer and manager.
Early life
Gould was born in Wyken, Coventry, Warwickshire on 12 June 1946. He is the son of Henry Gould and Helen McKellar Gould (née Morton). He spent h ...
convinced him to join them in the 1983–84 First Division. He made his debut in a 2–1 win at Highfield Road
Highfield Road was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. for 106 years.
History
It was built in 1899 in the Hillfields district, close to the city centre, and staged its final game o ...
over Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
. He was dropped from the starting line-up after a number of goalkeeping errors. He let a clearance from Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...
custodian Steve Sherwood
Stephen Sherwood (born 10 December 1953 in Selby, England) is an English former footballer who played as a goalkeeper, best remembered for his time at Watford, Chelsea and Grimsby Town.
Career
He played for Watford for 11 years, making 211 leag ...
bounce over his head into an empty net and punched a cross into his own net in a 2–3 home defeat to Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
a few weeks later. Gould then declared he would not pick Avramović again in the post-match interview. He returned to Yugoslavia with OFK Belgrade
OFK Beograd ( sr-Cyrl, ОФК Београд – Омладински фудбалски клуб Београд, English: ''Belgrade Youth Football Club'') is a Serbian professional football club based in Belgrade, more precisely in Karaburma, ...
in 1984, winning the Yugoslav Second League East Division title in his only season with the club before retiring at the age of 35.
International career
Avramović earned his only cap with the Yugoslavia national team on 15 November 1978. He played the full match as Yugoslavia defeated Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
4–1 in the Balkan Cup
The Balkan Cup was an international association football competition contested on and off from 1929 to 1980 by countries from the Balkans region. The most successful team was Romania with four titles.
Overview
The first edition featured Romania, ...
.
Coaching career
Early years
Avramović moved to Asia in 1991. He was placed in charge of Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
's age group teams from 1993 to 1998. In August 1998, he was appointed as assistant coach to Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
, and as coach of their Olympic squad a year later. He guided the Olympic squad through the Asian qualifiers to the 2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. Following the departure of Berti Vogts
Hans-Hubert "Berti" Vogts (; born 30 December 1946) is a German former professional footballer who played as a defender. He played for Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Bundesliga his whole professional club career and won the FIFA World Cup wi ...
in February 2002, Avramović took over as national coach of Kuwait. He led the senior team to their first West Asian Games
The West Asian Games (also known as the WAG) was a multi-sport event held every four years among the athletes from West Asia.
The West Asian Games was first organised in Tehran, Iran and was considered as the first of its kind. The success of th ...
title in April, and the under-23 team to the quarter-finals of the 2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 ...
in October, which they lost 1–0 to eventual silver medalists Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. His contract was however terminated when in December when hosts Kuwait failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2002 Arab Nations Cup. From February to July 2003, he coached Omani outfit Muscat Club
Muscat Club () is an Omani sports club based in Muscat, Oman. The club is currently playing in the Oman Professional League, the highest league of the Oman Football Association. Their home ground is Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, but they also r ...
to the 2002-03 Omani League
The hyphen-minus is the most commonly used type of hyphen, widely used in digital documents. It is the only character that looks like a minus sign or a dash in many character sets such as ASCII or on most keyboards, so it is also used as such. ...
title.
Singapore
In December 2002, Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
failed to achieve their target of reaching the 2002 Tiger Cup
The 2002 AFF Championship, officially known as the 2002 Tiger Cup, was co-hosted by Indonesia and Singapore from November 2002 to 13 January 2003 and participated by all national teams of the member associations of the ASEAN Football Federatio ...
final. The results included a 4–0 loss to traditional rivals Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
at the National Stadium
Many countries have a national sport stadium, which typically serves as the primary or exclusive home for one or more of a country's national representative sports teams. The term is most often used in reference to an association football stadiu ...
and Singapore exited the competition on an inferior goal difference at the group stage. Coach Jan B. Poulsen was sacked in the aftermath and after a six-month search, Avramović was appointed as coach of Singapore's senior and under-23 teams on a two-and-a-half-year contract in July 2003.[ The FAS tasked him with the targets of qualifying for the 2004 Asian Cup, as well as reaching the finals of the 2004 Tiger Cup and ]2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines.
This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991 S ...
. He took charge of his first game with a 4–1 international friendly win over Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
in August. The Lions
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
started their 2004 Asian Cup qualifying campaign with two defeats to Avramović's former team, Kuwait in September. They gained their first points with a win and a draw over Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
. A 2–0 defeat to Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
in November dashed their hopes of reaching the finals. In the post-mortem, Avramović stated his emphasis on developing more young players for the national squad.
Singapore were drawn in the same group as Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
for the 2006 World Cup qualification in 2004. They finished bottom of Group 3 with a win and five losses, including two narrow defeats to 2000 AFC Asian Cup
The 2000 AFC Asian Cup was the 12th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international association football, football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Lebanon between 12 and 29 O ...
winners Japan and a 7–0 trashing by Oman in Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...
on 9 June. The 2004 Tiger Cup draw pitted Singapore against Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
, Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
and co-hosts Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
in Group A. Despite a record of four wins in eighteen matches, the FAS gave their assurance that Avramović would not be sacked even if he failed to meet the target of reaching the tournament final. His Tiger Cup squad included naturalised players Daniel Bennett, Agu Casmir
Agu Casmir (born 23 March 1984 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a retired professional football player. Born in Nigeria, he represented the Singapore national team.
Club career
Casmir previously played for S.League clubs Young Lions and Woodlands Welli ...
and Itimi Dickson. Singapore drew 1–1 with Vietnam in their opening match, following it up with a 2–2 stalemate against Indonesia. A 6–2 win over Laos and a 3–0 defeat of Cambodia ensured their passage to the semi-finals as group runners-up. Singapore faced Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
in the semi-finals, registering a 4–3 win in the first leg in a game where first-choice striker Indra Sahdan was suspended and questions were raised over the eligibility of a Myanmar player.[Myanmar's Myo Min Tun was dismissed for violent conduct in a LG Cup match against India in August 2004. The AFC had issued a six-month ban but Myo continued to play in the ]AFF #REDIRECT AFF
Aff comes from Brazil and comes from the great general Barbaros Kee. it comes from that he often used to say Aff when he did something.
{{R from other capitalisation ...
-organised Tiger Cup which was not a competition sanctioned by the AFC. A 4–2 extra-time win over 8-man Myanmar[Myanmar striker Yan Paing was sent off for his second yellow card and Lynn Tun received a straight red for conceding a penalty. Moe Kyaw Thu was dismissed for kicking mud at the referee to reduce Myanmar to eight men.] in the home leg put the Lions through to the finals where they faced Indonesia. Singapore achieved a 3–1 win at Senayan in the first leg, followed by a 2–1 win at Kallang
Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...
on 16 January 2005. Singapore clinched the trophy on home soil and their second international title after their 1998 tournament triumph. The Lions were honoured for their Cup win with the Team of the Year award at the Singapore Sports Awards 2005.
The FAS's offer of a new two-year contract in May 2005 amid interest in the service of the coach by other Middle Eastern and Asian teams was not taken up by Avramović, who lamented the lack of stronger competitive matches for the national team and little support for the players. In June, Avramović announced a shortlist of 40 players for the Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
in November. As part of their preparations, Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
entered the inaugural AFF U-23 Youth Championship
The AFF U-23 Championship is an international football competition contested by the national under-23 teams of the member nations of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF). The inaugural edition was held in 2005.
Background
In 2005, the first ...
held in September, finishing runners-up behind Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. Although the under-23 squad contained nine players that won the 2004 Tiger Cup, they failed to progress beyond the group stage of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games
The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines.
This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991 S ...
. Despite earlier speculation of his departure, Avramović signed a two-year contract extension in December.
In 2006, Singapore were placed in the same group as Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
for the 2007 Asian Cup qualification. They defeated Iraq 2–0 in February but lost the next game by a solitary goal to Palestine. Although Singapore lost only to an injury time goal to China and drew the return fixture at home, their 4–2 defeat to Iraq in October confirmed their absence at the 2007 Games. Following an appeal by the FAS, the SNOC gave the green light for Singapore's participation in the under-23 football competition at the 2006 Asian Games
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...
in November. This marked the first time in 16 years that the football team was sent to the Asian Games. Although the Young Lions were boosted by the addition of naturalised players Shi Jiayi and Itimi Dickson, they failed to clear the first hurdle, ending up third in their group after draws with Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, and a loss to Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
Singapore co-hosted the 2007 ASEAN Football Championship[Previously known as Tiger Cup from 1996 to 2004. Reverted to ASEAN Football Championship in 2007 after Tiger Beer discontinued their sponsorship. Known as AFF Suzuki Cup from 2008 after Suzuki came in as new title sponsors.] with Thailand. They began their title defence with a goalless draw against Vietnam on 13 January. Two days later, striker Noh Alam Shah
Mohd Noh Alam Shah (born 3 September 1980) is a retired professional football player from Singapore who currently manages Tanjong Pagar United. Once regarded as one of the best forwards in South East Asia, Alam Shah was a member of the Singapor ...
scored seven goals in an 11–0 national team record win over Laos. Singapore advanced to the semi-finals after topping their group following a 2–2 draw with Indonesia. They met Malaysia in the semi-finals, progressing on a penalty shootout after extra time following 1–1 stalemates in both legs. Singapore took on Thailand, a team they had not defeated in a competitive fixture for 30 years, in the finals. They beat Thailand 2–1 in the first leg on 31 January, in which the Lions converted a controversial penalty on 83 minutes and the Thai players staged a walk-out as a protest before returning 15 minutes later. Thailand were leading 1–0 in Bangkok before a Khairul Amri
Mohammad Khairul Amri bin Mohammad Kamal (born 14 March 1985) is a Singaporean footballer who plays as a forward for Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Premier League. He is known for his pace, sharp dribbling skills and a powerful shot ...
scorcher won the tie 3–2 on aggregate and gave Singapore back-to-back tournament wins. With the final win, Singapore established an unbeaten run of 15 matches under Avramović dating back to the 2004 tournament and a tournament record of 17 matches without a loss going back to 2002.
Avramović scouted Hariss Harun
Hariss bin Harun (born 19 November 1990) is a Singaporean professional footballer who plays as a defender and captains both Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors and the Singapore national team. He is Singapore's youngest debutant, ...
and handed him his international debut in a friendly against North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
on 24 June 2007.[ With this appearance, Hariss became the youngest ever player to play for Singapore at the age of 16 years and 217 days, breaking the previous record held by Singapore legend ]Fandi Ahmad
Fandi bin Ahmad (born 29 May 1962) is a Singaporean professional football manager and former player. During his professional career, he mainly played as a striker, but also played as a midfielder. Along with the Singapore FA, he had also play ...
who debuted at 17 years, 3 months and 23 days. Avramović would later describe Hariss as an "exceptional player". Singapore were drawn against Palestine in the first round
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
of the 2010 World Cup qualification
Qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oce ...
. The Lions won the first match 4–0[Due to security reasons, Palestine played their home leg in Qatar.] and were awarded a 3–0 walkover win in the home leg after Palestine failed to turn up for the fixture.[Singapore were awarded a 3–0 win after Palestine failed to appear. The Palestine Football Federation appealed to have the match rescheduled on the grounds that its players did not receive permits to leave the Gaza Strip but FIFA dismissed the appeal.] On 1 November, Avramović called up striker Aleksandar Đurić
Aleksandar Đurić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Ђурић; born 12 August 1970) is a Singaporean former professional association football, footballer who serves as the Principal (commercial law), principal for Sport Singapore and the Active ...
, who was not on the FAS's Foreign Sports Talent Scheme
The Foreign Sports Talent Scheme (FST), initially known as Project Rainbow, was a scheme used by sports officials and organisations in Singapore to scout and facilitate the migration of non-Singaporeans deemed to possess sports talent to play in S ...
and had gained Singaporean citizenship in September for non-footballing reasons. Đurić made his international debut at the age of 37 years and 89 days against Tajikistan
Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
in the first leg of the second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
of the World Cup qualifiers on 9 November, contributing with an immediate impact by scoring both goals in a 2–0 victory. Hours prior to kick-off in the same match, national team captain Aide Iskandar announced his immediate retirement from international football. Aide had been suspended from the national team and missed a friendly against UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
and the World Cup qualifier against Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
after he was banned for insulting a domestic league referee in August. Singapore defeated Tajikistan 3–1 on aggregate to reach the third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
for the first time. Avramović then led the Singapore under-23 team at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games
The 2007 Southeast Asian Games ( th, กีฬาแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 2007, Kila haeng echiye tawan oak chiyeng tai 2007), officially known as the 24th Southeast Asian Games, was a South ...
in December where they won the bronze medal. Their performances in 2007 won the Lions and Avramović the Team of the Year and the Coach of the Year awards at the Singapore Sports Awards respectively.[ Avramović was only the third football coach after ]Choo Seng Quee
Choo Seng Quee Joseph (; 1 December 1914 – 30 June 1983), popularly known as Uncle Choo, was a Singaporean footballer and football coach. He was coach of the Indonesia, Malaya/Malaysia and Singapore national teams. He is widely recognised a ...
and Jita Singh to achieve the coaching honour.
The World Cup third qualifying round draw grouped Singapore with Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
and Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, with fixtures starting in February 2008. Despite two wins over Lebanon, the gulf in quality was evident in a 7–3 home defeat to Uzbekistan. Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan also had 3–0 victories awarded in place of 2–0 and 1–0 wins respectively as a result of Singapore fielding an ineligible player. Defending champions Singapore started the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup
The 2008 AFF Championship was the seventh edition of the tournament. It was primarily sponsored by Suzuki and therefore officially known as the 2008 AFF Suzuki Cup. The group stage was held in Indonesia and Thailand from 5 to 10 December 2008. T ...
[ with a perfect record in the group stage, registering wins over Cambodia, Myanmar and co-hosts Indonesia. The first leg of the semi-finals against Vietnam ended in a goalless draw. Singapore then conceded a late goal in the home leg to bow out of the competition to the eventual tournament winners.
Singapore were placed in Group E of the 2011 Asian Cup qualification along with Thailand, 2008 West Asian champions ]Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and runners-up Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
. They were trounced 6–0 away to Iran in January 2009 but defeated Jordan 2–1 at home two weeks later. Singapore lost 3–1 to Thailand at Kallang
Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore.
Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...
in November; the reverse fixture saw Singapore defeat Thailand 1–0. Further losses to Iran and Jordan in early 2010 condemned Singapore to the bottom of the group. Avramović considers Singapore's failure to qualify for the 2011 Asian Cup as his biggest regret as Singapore coach. Their next assignment was the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup
The 2010 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and P&G and officially known as the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 8th edition of the AFF Championship, took place on 1–29 December 2010. Indonesia and Vietnam hosted the group stage from 1 to 8 De ...
in December. Singapore were held to a shock 1–1 draw with the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
in their Group B opener and needed an injury-time goal to defeat Myanmar 2–1 in the next match. Co-hosts and defending champions Vietnam's solitary goal in the third match meant that Singapore failed to progress to the knockout stages since 2002.
Following the disappointing exit at the Suzuki Cup amid reports of ill-discipline in the players,[ the FAS decided to disband and revamp the national team, with FAS president Zainudin Nordin declaring that only four or five players would be retained in the new-look squad. Avramović, however, preached caution in the selection of players for the national team. In the 33-man provisional squad announced for the friendlies and the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, thirteen players received their first call-ups while eight players from the 2010 Suzuki Cup squad were dropped. The FAS specified their targets of reaching the third round of the World Cup qualifiers and a spot in the 2012 Suzuki Cup final. Singapore were drawn against traditional rivals Malaysia in the ]second round
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds e ...
of the 2014 World Cup qualification. On 23 July 2011, Singapore defeated Malaysia 5–3 at the Jalan Besar Stadium
Jalan Besar Stadium, officially the Jalan Besar ActiveSG Stadium, is a association football, football stadium located in Kallang, Singapore. The stadium is part of the Jalan Besar Sports and Recreation Centre, a community sports facility that i ...
. The Lions held Malaysia to a 1–1 draw in Kuala Lumpur five days later to progress 6–4 on aggregate to the next round. The third round
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* Hig ...
draw assigned Singapore to the same group as Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
, Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
and China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. Singapore lost all their matches and ended bottom of the group, scoring two goals and conceding twenty. The 7–1 defeat to Iraq in February 2012 led to calls for Avramović to step down and had him consider rejecting a contract renewal.[ Despite receiving two coaching offers, Avramović decided to stay on as national coach. On 11 April 2012, Singapore dropped to their lowest ever FIFA ranking of 158. The poor run continued with friendly match defeats to Malaysia and the Philippines, a first in 40 years.
In October 2012, it was reported that Avramović and the FAS had come to a mutual agreement that his contract would not be extended, regardless of the team's performance at the ]2012 AFF Suzuki Cup
The 2012 AFF Championship, sponsored by Suzuki and officially known as the 2012 AFF Suzuki Cup, was the 9th edition of the AFF Championship, the football championship of Southeast Asia. It was co-hosted for group stage by Malaysia and Thailand a ...
. Singapore were drawn with co-hosts Malaysia, Indonesia and Laos in Group B. On 21 November, the FAS announced the 22-man final squad, with Avramović selecting only five defenders for the tournament. Singapore opened their campaign with a 3–0 win over defending champions Malaysia. Despite a 1–0 loss to Indonesia in the next match, Singapore managed to top the group with a narrow 4–3 win over Laos. The semi-finals showdown pitted Singapore against the Philippines. The first leg in Manila ended in a stalemate. In the return leg, Khairul Amri
Mohammad Khairul Amri bin Mohammad Kamal (born 14 March 1985) is a Singaporean footballer who plays as a forward for Tanjong Pagar United in the Singapore Premier League. He is known for his pace, sharp dribbling skills and a powerful shot ...
scored the only goal of the game to send Singapore through to the finals. The finals set up Singapore against Thailand, both three-times winners of the tournament against each other. Singapore established a two-goal lead going into the second leg with a 3–1 home victory over Thailand on 19 December. Prior to the second leg, Avramović confirmed earlier reports that he would step down as coach of Singapore after the tournament. Although Thailand won by a goal in Bangkok three days later, the 3–2 aggregate win confirmed Singapore as the record 4-times winners of the Cup and a third tournament win for Avramović. Following the end of the Suzuki Cup, the FAS announced Avramović's departure as national coach.
Myanmar
In February 2014, Avramović was appointed as Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
's national coach on a one-and-a-half year contract. On 17 October the Myanmar Football Federation
The Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) ( my, မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ ဘောလုံး အဖွဲ့ချုပ်) is the governing body of association football, football in Myanmar. The MFF oversees the Burmese Myanmar nat ...
announced that they were parting ways with Avramović, and that he was being replaced by Gerd Zeise
Gerd Friedrich Horst Zeise (born 6 September 1952) is a German football manager, currently the head coach of Yangon United
Yangon United Football Club ( my, ရန်ကုန် ယူနိုက်တက် ဘောလုံးအသင် ...
who had led Myanmar to the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the twentieth edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup since its inception in 1977 as the FIFA World Youth Championship. The competition took place for the first time in New Zealand, the third time on Oceanian soil after ...
.
Home United
In July 2019, he was revealed as the head coach of Home United. However, his stint was abruptly cut short a month later in August after his diagnosis with lung cancer
Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...
became public.
Personal life
Avramović met his wife Bratislava in the summer of 1973 and they married two years later. She gave up a career in psychology to follow him to England when he signed for Notts County. They have a son and two grandsons.
He suffered lung cancer in 2019 which ended his managerial career. He relocated to his native Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
for treatment.
Career statistics
Club
International
Managerial statistics
Performance by national team
Only competitive matches included. Updated as of 13 October 2015.
Honours
As a player
FK Borac Čačak
*Yugoslav Second League
Yugoslav or Yugoslavian may refer to:
* Yugoslavia, or any of the three historic states carrying that name:
** Kingdom of Yugoslavia, a European monarchy which existed 1918–1945 (officially called "Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" 1918–1 ...
East Division: 1972–73
HNK Rijeka
*Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup ( hr, Pokal Jugoslavije; sr, Куп Југославије; sl, Pokal Jugoslavije, mk, Куп на Југославија), officially known between 1923 and 1940 as the King Alexander Cup ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Kup kralja Aleksandra, ...
: 1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
, 1979
Events
January
* January 1
** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
*Balkans Cup
The Balkans Cup was an international football competition for clubs from Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. It was introduced in 1961 and was very popular in the 1960s (the 1967 final attracted 42,000 spectators), being t ...
: 1978
Events January
* January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213.
* January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...
Notts County
* Second Division Promotion: 1980–81
OFK Belgrade
*Yugoslav Second League, Yugoslav Second League East Division: 1984–85 Yugoslav Second League, 1984–85
Individual
*Notts County F.C.#Players of the season, Notts County F.C. Players of the season: 1983
As a manager
Kuwait
*West Asian Games
The West Asian Games (also known as the WAG) was a multi-sport event held every four years among the athletes from West Asia.
The West Asian Games was first organised in Tehran, Iran and was considered as the first of its kind. The success of th ...
: 2002
Muscat Club
*Oman Professional League, Omani League: 2002–03
Singapore
*ASEAN Football Championship: 2004, 2007, 2012
*Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
(U-23): Bronze – 2007
Myanmar
*Philippine Peace Cup: 2014
Individual
*ASEAN Football Federation Coach of the Year: 2013
*Singapore Sports Council Coach of the Year: 2007
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avramovic, Radojko
Living people
1949 births
Yugoslav footballers
Yugoslavia international footballers
Serbian footballers
Yugoslav expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in England
Yugoslav First League players
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Canada
Canadian Professional Soccer League (original) players
Expatriate soccer players in Canada
FK Borac Čačak players
HNK Rijeka players
Notts County F.C. players
Coventry City F.C. players
OFK Beograd players
Association football goalkeepers
Serbian football managers
Serbian expatriate football managers
Kuwait national football team managers
Singapore national football team managers
Myanmar national football team managers
Inter-Montreal players
Al Tadhamon SC managers
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Oman
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Kuwait
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Singapore
Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Myanmar
Expatriate football managers in Myanmar
Expatriate football managers in Kuwait
Expatriate football managers in Oman
Kuwait Premier League managers
Oman Professional League managers
People from Sjenica