Ranko Popović (handball)
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Ranko Popović (; born 26 June 1967) is a Serbian
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of
J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...
side
Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...
.


Playing career

Born in
Peć Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova (region), Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the ...
,
SAP Kosovo The Socialist Autonomous Province of Kosovo, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Socijalistička Autonomna Pokrajina Kosovo, Социјалистичка Аутономна Покрајина Косово, separator=" / "; ; . Also abbreviated as SAP Kosovo. referre ...
,
SR Serbia The Socialist Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / ", Социјалистичка Република Србија, Socijalistička Republika Srbija), previously known as the People's Republic of Serbia ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, separator=" / " ...
, Popović started out at local club Budućnost. He moved to
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
in 1985 due to
compulsory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...
and played for Kneževac in the
Belgrade Zone League Belgrade Zone League (Serbian language, Serbian: Зонска лига Београд / Zonska liga Beograd) is one of the Serbian Zone League divisions, the fourth tier of the Serbian football league system. It is run by the Football Association ...
. In the 1988–89 season, Popović played for fellow Belgrade Zone League club
Beograd Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. The population of the Belgrade metropolitan area is 1,68 ...
. In the summer of 1989, Popović was acquired by
Yugoslav First League The Yugoslav First League ( Bosnian: Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, sr-Cyrl-Latn, Прва савезна лига у фудбалу, Prva savezna liga u fudbalu, , , , , ) was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) ...
side Partizan. He was later loaned to
Yugoslav Second League Yugoslav Second League ( Bosnian: ''Druga savezna liga,'' Croatian: ''Druga savezna liga'', Serbian: ''Друга савезна лига'', Slovenian: ''Druga zvezna liga'', Macedonian: ''Втора сојузна лига'', ''Vtora sojuzna l ...
club Leotar during the 1989–90 season. After returning to Partizan, Popović made two appearances in the
1990–91 Yugoslav First League The 1990–91 Yugoslav First League season was the 45th season of the First Federal League (), the top level association football competition of SFR Yugoslavia, since its establishment in 1946. The title was won by Red Star Belgrade, the club's 1 ...
. In
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
, Popović switched to Spartak Subotica. He spent two and a half years there, before moving abroad to Greece and joining
Ethnikos Piraeus Ethnikos Piraeus (Greek: Εθνικός Πειραιώς) is a Greek multisport club based in Piraeus. It was founded in 1923. The full name of the club is Ethnikos Omilos Filathlon Pireos/Phalirou or Ethnikos OFPF (Greek: Εθνικός Όμι ...
in the summer of 1994. Six months later, Popović returned to Spartak Subotica until the end of the season. After playing for two years at
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
club
Almería Almería (, , ) is a city and municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain, located in Andalusia. It is the capital of the province of Almería, province of the same name. It lies in southeastern Iberian Peninsula, Iberia on the Mediterranean S ...
, Popović joined Austrian side
Sturm Graz Sportklub Sturm Graz is an Austrian professional association football club, based in Graz, playing in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. The club was founded in 1909. Its colours are black and white. In its history, Sturm Graz has won the Austr ...
in the summer of 1997, aged 30. He spent the next four seasons with the club, winning back-to-back championships in
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
and
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
. In addition, Popović made 11 appearances in the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
.


Managerial career


Austria and Japan

Between 2002 and 2006, Popović served as player-manager of Austrian lower league sides TuS FC Arnfels and SV Pachern. He subsequently moved to Japan in the summer of 2006, assisting his compatriot
Mihailo Petrović Mihailo ( sr-cyr, Михаило) is a South Slavic masculine given name. It is a variant of the Hebrew name ''Michael'', and its cognates include Mihajlo and Mijailo. Common as a given name among Serbs, it is an uncommon surname. Notable peopl ...
at
Sanfrecce Hiroshima Sanfrecce Hiroshima () is a Japanese professional association football, football club based in Hiroshima. The club competes in the J1 League, top flight of the Japanese football league system. Sanfrecce is one of the most successful clubs in Ja ...
for over a year.


Serbia

In early 2008, Popović returned to his homeland to take charge of
Serbian League Vojvodina Serbian League Vojvodina ( Serbian: Српска лига Војводина / Srpska liga Vojvodina) is one of four sections of the Serbian League, the third tier of professional football in Serbia. The other three sections are Serbian League B ...
club Zlatibor Voda. He led them to promotion to the
Serbian First League The Serbian First League (), referred to as the Mozzart Bet First League for sponsorship reasons, is the second tier in professional Serbia's football league. The league was formed in 2005, following a reshuffle of the second tier Serbo-Montenegr ...
, before they merged with Spartak Subotica. In May 2009, Popović was replaced by Slavko Vojičić.


Return to Japan

In July 2009, Popović accepted an offer to coach
J League The , commonly a.k.a. shortened to the , and officially known as the for sponsorship with Meiji Yasuda Life, is the men's association football league in Japan. It is responsible for organizing Japan's major professional football tournaments, in ...
club
Oita Trinita is a Japanese football club located in Ōita, Capital of Ōita Prefecture. They currently play in J2 League, Japanese second tier of professional football. Name origin The club's name, ''Trinita'', is the Italian translation of the word ' ...
, which had experienced 14 consecutive defeats in the season. In his first six matches, the team only won once, but in the last 10 matches of the season, it did not lose once (five wins and five draws). This result earned him an offer to coach the team for the next season, but the team nearly went bankrupt and his contract had to be canceled. In December 2010, Popović was appointed manager of
Machida Zelvia commonly known as is a Japanese professional football club based in Machida, Tokyo. They currently play in the J1 League, following promotion as J2 League champions in 2023. History Formation and election to the Prefectural League (1989–2 ...
. He subsequently went on to become manager of some of the most recognized clubs in Japan, including
FC Tokyo , commonly known as , is a Japanese professional football club based in Chōfu, Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, the top tier of football in the country. From 2025, FC Tokyo is one of the few J.League clubs to be simply called ''Footb ...
and
Cerezo Osaka is a Japanese professional football club based in Osaka. The club currently plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. The club's name ''Cerezo'' (Spanish for cherry blossom) is also the flower of the city of Osak ...
.


Spain

On 24 November 2014, Popović was appointed at the helm of Spanish
Segunda División The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
side
Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...
, replacing the fired
Víctor Muñoz Víctor Muñoz Manrique, (born 15 March 1957), known simply as Víctor as a player, is a Spanish retired football midfielder and manager. He spent most of his professional career with Barcelona, winning six titles and achieving La Liga totals ...
. He led the team to the
2015 Segunda División play-offs The 2015 Segunda División play-offs took place in June 2015 and has determined the third team which will be promoted to 2015–16 La Liga, the top division. Teams placed between 3rd and 6th position (excluding reserve teams) are taking part in t ...
, but fell short, losing to
Las Palmas Las Palmas (, ; ), officially Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, is a Spanish city and capital of Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital city of the Canary Islands (jointly with Santa Cruz de Tenerife) and the m ...
on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
. While at Zaragoza, Popović was named the Segunda División Manager of the Month by the LFP in October 2015. He was dismissed on 20 December 2015, after a 3–1 loss against Gimnàstic.


Thailand and India

In August 2016,
Thai League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...
club
Buriram United Buriram United Football Club () is a Thai professional football club based in Buriram. The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the majority of their existence and competes in the Thai League 1. The club was founded in 1970 as P ...
appointed Popović as the club manager to fill the vacant role after the dismissal of
Afshin Ghotbi Afshin Ghotbi (, born 8 February 1964) is an Iranian football coach who works as head coach of Vancouver FC in the Canadian Premier League. Early life Afshin Ghotbi was born in Tehran. He is the son of a teacher in Iran with whom he left Iran ...
. He left the position in June 2017 after receiving a three-month ban by the Thai FA (FAT) for slapping his team's physio after a league game earlier that month. In September 2017,
Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
side
Pune City Pune ( ; , ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona ( the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan plateau in Western India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Pune district, and of Pune ...
appointed Popović as new manager. He parted ways with the club in May 2018.


Vojvodina

On 11 August 2023, After spending three seasons in
Machida Zelvia commonly known as is a Japanese professional football club based in Machida, Tokyo. They currently play in the J1 League, following promotion as J2 League champions in 2023. History Formation and election to the Prefectural League (1989–2 ...
, Popović took over
Serbian SuperLiga The Serbian Super League (), also known as Mozzart SuperLiga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Serbia and the highest level of the Serbian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a sys ...
club
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
, signing a deal until the end of the season 2023–24.


Kashima Antlers

On 21 December 2023, after a brief half-season at
Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
, Popović joined
J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...
club
Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...
. Popović has some mixed results at the start of the season but an 11 game unbeaten streak in the middle of the season saw Kashima solidly in the top 3 of the league. However, results started to drop off and in spite of a 4–0 league victory over
Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...
, Popović was dismissed with Antlers sitting in 4th in the table and only 6 games left in the season.


Personal life

Popović also holds
Austrian citizenship Austrian nationality law details the conditions by which an individual is a national of Austria. The primary law governing these requirements is the Nationality Law, which came into force on 31 July 1985. Austria is a member state of the Europ ...
.


Managerial statistics


Honours


Player

Sturm Graz *
Austrian Bundesliga The Bundesliga ( , "Federal League"), also known as Admiral Bundesliga for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Austria and the highest level of the Austrian football league system. The competition decides the A ...
: 1997–98, 1998–99 *
Austrian Cup The Austrian Cup (), known as UNIQA ÖFB Cup for sponsorship purposes, is an annual football competition held by the Austrian Football Association, the ÖFB. During the 2008–09 season, Austria Wien won the tournament for a record 27th time. Wo ...
: 1998–99 *
Austrian Supercup The Austrian Supercup (German: ÖFB-Supercup) was a football competition held annually from 1986 until 2004 between the winners of the Austrian Football Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup. 19 editions were played during the short history of the com ...
: 1998, 1999


Manager

Zlatibor Voda *
Serbian League Vojvodina Serbian League Vojvodina ( Serbian: Српска лига Војводина / Srpska liga Vojvodina) is one of four sections of the Serbian League, the third tier of professional football in Serbia. The other three sections are Serbian League B ...
: 2007–08 Buriram United *
Thai League Cup The League Cup () is a association football, football cup competition in Thailand. It is also known as Hilux Revo Cup for sponsorship reasons. History Thai League Cup was started by Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor (Thailand) in the name of ...
:
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
*
Mekong Club Championship The Toyota Mekong Club Championship was an ASEAN Football Federation, ASEAN club competition for men's association football clubs. Five teams entered as respective domestic league winners from ''Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam''. ...
:
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Popovic, Ranko 1967 births Living people Footballers from Peja Kosovo Serbs Naturalised citizens of Austria Men's association football defenders Yugoslav men's footballers Serbia and Montenegro men's footballers FC Besa Peja players FK Beograd (Serbia) players FK Partizan players FK Leotar players FK Spartak Subotica players Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. players UD Almería players SK Sturm Graz players Yugoslav Second League players Yugoslav First League players First League of Serbia and Montenegro players Super League Greece players Segunda División players Austrian Football Bundesliga players Serbia and Montenegro expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Austria Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Greece Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Spain Serbia and Montenegro expatriate sportspeople in Austria Serbian football managers FK Spartak Subotica managers Oita Trinita managers FC Machida Zelvia managers FC Tokyo managers Cerezo Osaka managers Real Zaragoza managers Ranko Popovic FC Pune City managers SKN St. Pölten managers FK Vojvodina managers Kashima Antlers managers J1 League managers J2 League managers Segunda División managers Ranko Popovic Indian Super League managers Austrian Football Bundesliga managers Serbian SuperLiga managers Serbian expatriate football managers Expatriate football managers in Japan Expatriate football managers in Spain Expatriate football managers in Thailand Expatriate football managers in India Expatriate football managers in Austria Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Serbian expatriate sportspeople in India Serbian expatriate sportspeople in Austria