Hot football news shook Belgrade in the hours before the deadline for European filings. Spanish specialist Albert Riera has reached a full agreement and will be the new head coach of Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade.
The decision comes just hours after the “red and whites“ shocking elimination in the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Israeli side Hapoel Beer Sheva, which led to the resignation of Dejan Stankovic. At the same time, eternal rival Partizan brought a breath of air for the Serbian club coefficient, after successfully overcoming the resistance of Kazakhstan's Tobol and qualifying for the decisive playoffs in the League of conferences.
A shake-up at the “Maracana“: Albert Riera replaces Dejan Stankovic at Red Star
Red Star's management reacted swiftly after the European disappointment against Hapoel Beer Sheva. The media giant Sport Club was the first to reveal that Spaniard Albert Riera had already signed his contract. The news was also officially confirmed by the authoritative sports insider Fabrizio Romano, who announced the deal as fully finalized.
The 44-year-old former Liverpool and Spanish national team player was last at the helm of German Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga until the end of May 2026. Before that, Riera gained serious authority in the Balkans with his work at Slovenian Olimpia Ljubljana and Celje. An interesting detail revealed by the Croatian portal Telegram is that the specialist was a transfer target of Belgrade at the end of last year, but then his then club Celje blocked the move.
Riera now faces the urgent task of getting the team ready for the upcoming Europa League playoff match, where Red Star will face Czech side Viktoria Plzen.
Partizan moves forward in Europe after another success over Tobol
While “Rajko Mitic“ was undergoing a coaching change, the “undertakers“ from Partizan did their job on the international stage. Saša Ilic's men secured a place in the playoff round of the Conference League after a second clean victory over the tough Tobol Kostanay team.
After winning the first match in Belgrade with a classic 3:0, The “black and white“ demonstrated tactical maturity in the return match in Kazakhstan, triumphing with 2:1. The hosts from Tobol tried to bring back the intrigue with an early goal by Islam Chesnokov in the 7th minute. However, Partizan reacted immediately after the break when Stefan Mitrovic equalized the score in the 47th minute. The complete turnaround and the final 2:1 was shaped by reserve Shaka Traore with a cool goal in added time of the match (92').
Thus, with an aggregate score of 5:1, Partizan continues to advance in the tournament organized by UEFA. According to the official schedule, the next obstacle for the Belgrade team on the way to the group stage will be the Spanish Getafe. The first matches of the playoffs are scheduled for August 20, with the return matches to be played on August 27, 2026.