Singapore Premier League club Lion City Sailors have appointed former Red Star Belgrade and Real Betis defender Risto Vidakovic as their new head coach for the upcoming 2023 football season, replacing the role vacated by Luka Lalic, technical director of the club’s Football Academy, who filled in midway through the last season on an interim basis.
53-year-old Vidakovic holds a UEFA pro-coaching license and is a familiar face to Southeast Asia football as he has coached in the region with clubs in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, where he memorably won three straight Philippines Football League titles between 2017 and 2019 with Ceres-Negros.
Vidakovic led Ceres to the 2017 ASEAN zone champions in the 2017 AFC Cup, winning 3-2 on aggregate against Singapore side Home United. They went on to meet Tajikistan club Istikol in the inter-zone semi-finals but could not match the Central Asian side’s prowess as the Philippines club lost 5-1 on aggregate.
Ceres took part in the Singapore Cup that same year. They were drawn against Hougang United in the preliminary round, but unfortunately, they went down 1-0 at the Hougang Stadium.
“Risto is a serial winner in the region, and has proven that he can work European knowhow into the football culture in Southeast Asia – and this in varying challenging circumstances as well. I’m confident he is the right man to take the club forward,” said Sailors’ chairman, Forrest Li, in a media statement on his club’s new head coach appointment on Tuesday.
“His philosophy of football matches what we envision for ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, he is a dedicated football thinker and a father figure to players, especially the young ones, and I’m excited to have him at the helm of our team.”
Although the former Yugoslavia international lasted less than four months at Malaysia Super League club Melaka United, leaving through mutual consent in April 2022, he had a more memorable time in Maldives with Maziya as they ended the 2020-2021 campaign without a defeat.
“For me, I see this as a huge and exciting challenge to come in to make something special at the club,” said Vidakovic, who will join the 2021 Singapore Premier League winner for their pre-season training in January.
“I like to play offensive football and it’s obvious in all the clubs I’ve worked in before that we’ve played that way. It’s important that the fans enjoy what they’re seeing from the team. While I have my philosophy, it’s also key that my players feel comfortable and happy with their positions on the pitch and their roles within the team so I have to adapt as well,” added Vidakovic who has worked under Spanish coach Javier Clemente as assistant coach of the Serbia national team where he helped shape players the likes of Nemanja Vidic and Nikola Zigic.
Vidakovic believes the Sailors’ roster – which includes the likes of former PSV Eindhoven winger Maxime Lestienne, Brazilian playmaker Diego Lopes, and Singapore captain Hariss Harun – presents an exciting opportunity.
“Every club needs a good mix between young and experienced players. I’m happy we have some top foreign players here who have played in top-level leagues in Europe and they will be important to help guide these young players to reach another level in their game,” he said.
The Sailors ended the recent league campaign in the second spot on 57 points, two behind champions Albirex Niigata (S). They struggled in the Singapore Cup, held to a 3-3 and 1-1 draw by Balestier Khalsa and the Young Lions, respectively, before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Albirex in their final Group A match.