Serbia have confirmed that head coach Dragan Stojkovic will continue as head coach in spite of a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign.
In their first European Championships as an independent nation, the Eagles were expected to be serious contenders for a top-two finish in Group C alongside England, Slovenia and Denmark, especially with the attacking talent at their disposal.
All-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic and Juventus marksman Dusan Vlahovic were both called up to the Euro 2024 squad, as were the likes of Dusan Tadic and midfield maestro Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
However, Serbia failed to win any of their group matches, only managing draws against Denmark and Slovenia after losing 1-0 to England - despite giving the Three Lions a good run for their money - to finish bottom of the section on two points.
Furthermore, the Eagles' only goal at the tournament was a last-minute Luka Jovic equaliser in a 1-1 stalemate against Slovenia on matchday two, making them the worst attacking team at Euro 2024.
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Serbia give "maximum support" to Stojkovic
Serbia's toothlessness also saw them contribute to the joint-lowest scoring group in the history of the men's Euros, as Stojkovic's side, Denmark, Slovenia and England managed a paltry seven strikes between them.
However, following reports that Stojkovic was set to continue as men's manager, the Serbian FA announced that he would remain in his post on Friday morning as they expressed their "maximum support" to the 59-year-old.
"After the detailed report of the coach of the "A" national team of Serbia on the participation in the European Championship in Germany, trust was confirmed and maximum support was given to Dragan Stojkovic in fulfilling the next goals facing the best national team of our country," Serbia said in a statement.
"The Executive Board of the Football Association of Serbia unanimously adopted the report of coach Dragan Stojkovic, who informed the president Dragan Dzajic and the members of the most responsible body of our football organization about the plans for the upcoming period and the fact that already in September there will be significant changes in the playing staff of our "A". representation."
How have Serbia fans reacted to Stojkovic staying?
News of Stojkovic remaining in the Serbia hotseat did not go down well with the Eagles' fanbase, with the top reply to their X post being a GIF captioned "hello darkness my old friend" by SerbianFooty, a fan account with over 35,000 followers.
— Serbian Football (@SerbianFooty) July 12, 2024
One user also replied to the statement with a clown emoji, while another posted a quote from Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokic, which simply read "zero interest".
Despite the negative reaction from the Serbia faithful, Stojkovic - who was a feared attacking midfielder during his playing heyday - will be leading his country into their next Nations League and World Cup qualifying cycle.
Serbia will compete in League A of the UEFA Nations League for 2024-25, taking on Spain, Denmark and Switzerland in Group 4 of the first tier, facing the former in their opening match on September 5.
Stojkovic has won 22, drawn nine and lost 11 of his 42 matches in charge of the Eagles, whom he led to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but Serbia were also knocked out of the group stage of that tournament with no wins to their name.
Ben Knapton
![Serbia's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic pictured during the warm-up on June 16, 2024 [IMAGO]](https://sm.imgix.net/11/29/1x1.gif?w=1&h=1 "Serbia's Vanja Milinkovic-Savic pictured during the warm-up on June 16, 2024 [IMAGO]")
