The Football Association of Serbia faces an institutional crisis as the October 31 deadline for presidential nominations closes with zero candidates, forcing the likely postponement of the November 14 Electoral Assembly for the fourth time in six months.
Serbia’s governing body is careening toward an administrative vacuum as the end-of-October filing window shuts without a single official bid to succeed outgoing president Dragan Džajić. With the Electoral Assembly currently inked into the calendar for November 14, the organization now confronts a fourth postponement of its leadership vote in six months. Crvena zvezda decided to replace Dragan Džajić with Zvezdan Terzić, meaning the red-and-white legend cannot run for a new mandate. Only a member can be elected president, and Branko Radujko previously served as general secretary under the past leadership.
Why the Presidential Race Collapsed Before Nominations Closed
The administrative paralysis stems directly from shifting political tides following recent parliamentary elections, which upended prior succession plans. Nikola Lazetić had planned to seek the presidency backed by the Srpska napredna stranka, but that path dissolved when the Studentska lista won power, according to details published by Vreme. Delegates who once aligned with the outgoing establishment have stepped back, leaving any potential assembly without the quorum needed to vote. Meanwhile, Nenad Stanojević, general secretary of the Obrenovac Football Association, demanded Lazetić’s resignation from his position as president of the Football Association of Belgrade due to how he reached office and his behavior during his mandate.
Meanwhile, high-profile figures are steering clear of the vacancy entirely.
Emergency Governance Options on the Table for Serbian Football
As the deadline expires without paperwork on desks, attention shifts to how the organization will maintain day-to-day operations. Current leadership remains authorized to handle routine administrative functions in a technical mandate, but long-term planning for domestic leagues and national squads remains frozen. The Emergency Board or Executive Board of the FSS must adopt a decision to announce a new deadline for submitting candidacies and schedule a new date for the Assembly session, as the statutory rules dictate that the assembly cannot elect a president without validly registered candidates on the ballot.
- Temporary administration: Domestic stakeholders or executive committees stepping in with interim rules until a legal vote can be scheduled, though mixed domestic interim bodies lack viable consensus.
- External intervention: UEFA stepping in to delegate a forced supervisory board, a radical step cited by Sportklub that remains under discussion as the crisis deepens.
Mirko Poledica Calls for Patience Amid Systemic Overhaul
People ask me every day what is happening with Serbian football and when changes will begin at all levels.
With no candidates registered by the close of business on October 31, the Executive Board or Emergency Committee must establish a fresh timeline for nominations and set a new date for the postponed assembly while current officials oversee essential functions. The national team concludes its matches for the year 2026 in November, ahead of the start of European Championship qualifiers in March.