Vladimir Petković (; born 15 August 1963) is a
Bosnian professional
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
Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
. He is currently the coach of the
Algeria national team. He was previously the head coach of French side
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
, the
Switzerland national team, a string of Swiss clubs, Turkish club
Samsunspor
Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...
, and Italian club
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
.
Petković is from
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Apart from his
Bosnian one, he also holds
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
and
Croatian passports.
Early life
Petković was born in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
,
SFR Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1963 to a
Bosnian Croat family.
He is a naturalized
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
and holds
Bosnian,
Swiss
Swiss most commonly refers to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Swiss may also refer to: Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
* Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
* Swiss Café, an old café located ...
and
Croatian passports. His parents worked in education and due to the family's frequent moving, Petković changed schools several times.
They first lived in
Vrelo Bosne
Vrelo Bosne (; ) is a public park and a protected Nature Monument established around the source of the Bosna river, featuring the system of numerous springs at the foothills of Mount Igman, in the municipality of Ilidža, on the outskirts of Sa ...
and then when he was five years old, in
Hadžići
Hadžići is a town and municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located south west of the city of Sarajevo. According to the 2013 population census in Bosni ...
near Sarajevo.
Playing career
A midfielder with good technique, Petković started playing football in
Ilidža
Ilidža ( sr-cyrl, Илиџа, ) is a spa town and a municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has a total population of 66,730 with 63,528 in Ilidža itself, and i ...
as an eleven-year-old before joining the youth sector of his hometown side
FK Sarajevo
Fudbalski klub Sarajevo ( sh-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Сарајево; , English language, English: Sarajevo Football Club), is a professional Association football, football Sports club, club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosn ...
as a fifteen-year-old.
He remained at FK Sarajevo and began his professional career there in the early 1980s. Petković made only a handful of appearances in a strong Sarajevo side led on the pitch by Bosnian
Safet Sušić
Safet "Pape" Sušić (; born 13 April 1955) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player. He was a gifted midfielder known for his dribbling skills and technical ability, and is strongly reputed to have been one of the finest Eur ...
.
Petković was a part of the Sarajevo side that won the
1984–85 Yugoslav First League, but made only two league appearances for them.
His time at Sarajevo was interrupted by two brief stints elsewhere: first, a successful time with
Rudar Prijedor where Petković showed good scoring ability; and then a less successful season in the
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 ...
with a poor
NK Koper side which was relegated after finishing last.
Petković emigrated from
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
in 1987, leaving FK Sarajevo and moving permanently to
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, where he joined second division club
Chur 97. After a season with Chur, Petković moved to the Swiss top division, joining a strong
Sion side. Sion achieved a third-place finish in the
Nationalliga but Petković left the club at the end of the season after only making six league appearances.
After leaving Sion, Petković moved back into the lower tiers, first joining
Martigny-Sports before returning to his first Swiss club, Chur 97. Petković enjoyed a career as a regular goalscoring midfielder in the Swiss second division, which included two more stints at
Bellinzona
Bellinzona ( , ; ; is a municipality, a List of towns in Switzerland, historic Swiss town, and the capital of the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The town is famous for its Three Castles of Bellinzona, three castles (Castelgrande, Montebello, Sa ...
and
Lugano
Lugano ( , , ; ) is a city and municipality within the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is the largest city in both Ticino and the Italian-speaking region of southern Switzerland. Lugano has a population () of , and an u ...
.
Petković completed his playing career as a player-manager with Bellinzona and
Malcantone Agno, the latter having later merged with financially stricken Lugano.
Managerial career
Coaching in Switzerland
After his retirement from playing, Petković became a coach and his first job was player-manager at Bellinzona in 1997. In 2004, he took over the reins at Lugano before returning to Bellinzona for the fourth time in his career, where he led the club to the
2008 Swiss Cup final, only to lose out to
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, and promotion to the
Swiss Super League
The Super League (also known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss football league system. It has been played in its current fo ...
. At the beginning of the
2008–09 season, he was appointed as manager of
Young Boys. After taking charge at the club, Petković installed a
3–4–3 formation and took the
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
side to a second-placed league finish. After two more seasons with Young Boys, he was sacked after a 1–1 draw against
Luzern
Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...
on 7 May 2011. The club finished in third place in the league behind their rivals
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
and Basel.
Samsunspor in Turkey and return to Switzerland
In 2011, he became the new manager of Turkish side
Samsunspor
Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...
. He resigned from that position in January 2012 with the club in the relegation zone.
On 15 May 2012, he was named the new temporary manager of
Sion until the end of the 2011–12 season.
Lazio
On 2 June 2012, Petković became the new manager of Italian side
Lazio
Lazio ( , ; ) or Latium ( , ; from Latium, the original Latin name, ) is one of the 20 Regions of Italy, administrative regions of Italy. Situated in the Central Italy, central peninsular section of the country, it has 5,714,882 inhabitants an ...
in
Serie A
The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...
. With the club, he won the
Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
in
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, thanks to a goal from
Senad Lulić.
Switzerland national team
On 23 December 2013, it was announced that Petković was to succeed
Ottmar Hitzfeld
Ottmar Hitzfeld (; born 12 January 1949) is a German former professional football player and a former manager. He accumulated a total of 18 major titles, mostly in his tenures with Grasshopper Club Zürich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. ...
as the manager of the
Switzerland national team after the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...
.
As a result,
Claudio Lotito fired Petković claiming a breach of the contract due to not having been duly informed by Petković about the latter's ongoing negotiations with the
Swiss Football Association
The Swiss Football Association (, , , ) is the governing body of football in Switzerland. It organizes the football league, the Swiss Football League and the Switzerland national football team. It is based in Bern.
It was formed in 1895, was a ...
. Petković was sacked as Lazio manager on 4 January 2014 and was replaced by
Edy Reja, which resulted in a legal dispute concerning the contract termination.
Since his appointment to the national team spot in July 2014, Petković has guided the Swiss to the Round of 16 stages of both the
UEFA Euro 2016
The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...
and the
2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...
, along with the quarter-finals of
UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...
. They also reached the
2019 UEFA Nations League Finals. At the UEFA Euro 2020, he led Switzerland to defeat
world champions France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
5–4 on
penalties in the
Round of 16
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
, after a 3–3 draw, to qualify to the
quarter-finals
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
of the European Championship for the first time in their history.
Bordeaux
In late July 2021, Petković became the manager of French club
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. In February 2022, he was sacked as the team was struggling in the relegation positions in
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...
.
Algeria
On 29 February 2024, Petković became the head coach of the
Algerian national team. Later that year, on 6 June, he lost his first competitive match 2–1 at home against
Guinea
Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
during the
2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification will decide the 45 teams that will join hosts Canada men's national soccer team, Canada, Mexico national football team, Mexico, and the United States men's national soccer team, United States at the 2026 FIFA ...
. Four days later, he achieved his first win in a 2–1 victory over
Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
.
Charitable work
While living in Switzerland, Petković worked for
Caritas Ticino, a Catholic relief development and social service organisation, for five years.
Managerial statistics
Honours
Player
Sarajevo
*
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) ...
:
1984–85
Manager
Malcantone Agno
*
1. Liga: 2002–03
Lazio
*
Coppa Italia
Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since.
Juventus is the competition's most successf ...
:
2012–13
References
External links
BSC Young Boys profileCaritas Bern: Ein Mann, der Menschen motiviert p. 16.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petkovic, Vladimir
1963 births
Living people
Footballers from Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholics
Yugoslav emigrants to Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Switzerland
Swiss people of Bosnia and Herzegovina descent
Swiss people of Croatian descent
Swiss Roman Catholics
Men's association football midfielders
Yugoslav men's footballers
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers
Swiss men's footballers
FK Sarajevo players
FK Rudar Prijedor players
FC Koper players
FC Chur 97 players
FC Sion players
FC Martigny-Sports players
AC Bellinzona players
FC Locarno players
Yugoslav First League players
Yugoslav Second League players
Swiss Challenge League players
Swiss Super League players
Yugoslav expatriate men's footballers
Yugoslav expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate men's footballers
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland
Bosnia and Herzegovina football managers
Swiss football managers
AC Bellinzona managers
FC Lugano managers
BSC Young Boys managers
Samsunspor managers
FC Sion managers
SS Lazio managers
Switzerland national football team managers
FC Girondins de Bordeaux managers
Algeria national football team managers
Swiss Challenge League managers
Swiss Super League managers
Süper Lig managers
Serie A managers
UEFA Euro 2016 managers
2018 FIFA World Cup managers
UEFA Euro 2020 managers
Expatriate football managers in France
Expatriate football managers in Italy
Expatriate football managers in Switzerland
Expatriate football managers in Turkey
Expatriate football managers in Algeria
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Turkey
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in France
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Algeria
20th-century Swiss sportsmen