By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
In a meeting with Partizan Mozzart Bet officials, a few days after deciding to step down from the position of head coach, Zeljko Obradovic insisted on his resignation, as reported by Serbian outlet Sportal on Friday. During discussions, he was reluctant to return, being unhappy with some players and unable to reach them, and also noting that it would be impossible to change the entire roster in December.
Following the initial announcement about the legendary play-caller on Wednesday, the Belgrade outfit rejected the resignation on Thursday, asking Obradovic to reconsider. With the ensuing meeting with the 65-year-old coach falling short of changing the situation, Partizan is expected to officially confirm his departure after a board meeting on Saturday morning.
Besides management, team supporters were also very clear in wanting Obradovic to continue as head coach, especially during a massive showing of support in the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport on Thursday.
The nine-time EuroLeague champion, including the 1992 triumph with Partizan to start his record-breaking run, reunited with the Serbian club in 2021 on a three-year contract and in 2024 extended his contract until the end of the 2025-26 season.
In his latest stint, he won the 2022-23 and 2024-25 installments of the AdmiralBet ABA League and Serbia’s AdmiralBet KLS in 2025. His EuroLeague efforts went from reaching the Playoffs of the 2022-23 installment to narrowly missing a postseason berth over the last two years.
In the ongoing EuroLeague Regular Season, Partizan sits three games away from the Play-In Showdown zone at 4-9. At the regional level, a 5-1 record ranks third in Group A of the Regular Season, trailing Dubai and U-BT Cluj-Napoca on the win-loss point system.
The next team outing is in Round 14 of the EuroLeague Regular Season opposite FC Bayern Munich in Belgrade Arena on Thursday.
Partizan dismisses Zoran Savic
Four years after being appointed as sports director, 59-year-old Zoran Savic was released from Partizan upon a mutual agreement, the team announced following the meeting with Obradovic.
The three-time EuroLeague champion as a player was hired in 2021. Earlier in his executive career, he worked at FC Barcelona and Fortitudo Bologna.