The football manager who suffered a fatal heart attack during a match in Serbia had been feeling unwell and complaining about the fish he had eaten for lunch just a few hours before the shocking incident, a player from the team has revealed. Mladen Zizovic, 44, collapsed on the sidelines just 22 minutes into Radnicki 1923's match against Mladost on Sunday evening.
He was rushed to the hospital but sadly did not survive. The game was first halted when Zizovic went down, then briefly resumed, before being called off entirely once news of his death reached the players and coaching staff. An investigation has been launched into the manager's death.
Shocking Scene on the Field
Heartbreaking footage shared on social media Monday showed players and team members in tears, embracing one another in shock and grief as they tried to come to terms with the tragedy.
Radnicki 1923 player Mehmed Cosic, who was on the field during the match, later shared that Zizovic had said that he was feeling unwell shortly before his fatal heart attack.
The Bosnian manager — who was leading only his third game with the top-tier Serbian club after being appointed on October 23 — complained about the fish served at lunch and stopped eating it, saying he didn't feel right, Cosic said.
"I didn't fall asleep until almost 3.30am. I have no words, we are stunned," Cosic told Faktor as he opened up on the harrowing incident.
"I'm replaying the movie in my head. He was giving me instructions, turned around and at one point I saw that he was talking to the referee by the benches. Then he went towards our bench, turned to the others and said 'I'm not feeling well, I'm not feeling well'".
"He fell, you saw everything else. In the video that appeared on social networks, you can also hear screams. They say he complained about the fish, said he wouldn't eat it anymore. That's what he was talking about. There were no problems during the warm-up, the game started, everything was ok.
"We continued the game, hoping that the worst wouldn't happen and that he would be with us again. It was clear that that wasn't it, but we said that we were playing for him and that we wanted to reward him with a victory. We weren't focused, we were in disbelief, but we didn't want to disappoint him.
"We believed that he would come back and be with us again, and that we would celebrate the victory. Then there was complete shock. The referee suddenly stopped the game. Someone said "he died". Everything stopped in an instant."
Emotional Tributes Pour In
Cosic added that Radnicki 1923's players and staff have been given the week off from training to grieve, and next weekend's match against Cukaricki has been postponed. Zizovic's funeral is set for Thursday, and fans of his former team, FK Borac Banja Luka, have already honored him by painting a mural outside the club's stadium.
The Bosnian club, which he coached in European competitions last season, also shared heartfelt tributes, as the football world mourns the loss of the beloved manager.
"Boss, Our Ziza, We can't believe that you left us," the Borac squad said.
"We are shaken by the terrible news that reached us at Platanova 6 and we refuse to admit that we will no longer see you smiling, that we will no longer hear you making jokes at your own expense and that of others, that we will no longer listen to you talk about the football you gave your life to.
"You left us at the age of 44, and we can only remember every moment you spent at the City Stadium. First as a player, and then as a coach who achieved the greatest European success in our history.
"We will remember that you gave your best to Borca and Banja Luka and that together we wrote stories for eternity.
"It's hard to admit that you're gone. Life is cruel and takes the best of us too soon. It remains for us that you live through us and that we pass on the story of Mladen Zizovic, a man, a husband, a father, a brother, a son, a coach and a football player.
"Young man, may your glory be eternal, Banjaluka and Borac will forever remember you."
Zizovic earned two caps for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team and spent his entire playing career in his home country or in Albania.
