Zoran Đorđević is a Serbian international football manager. During his 40-year career, he has coached many national and first-league teams across Asia and Africa. Đorđević was the subject of the 2013 documentary Coach Zoran and His African Tigers, describing his attempts to give a head start to the recently formed South Sudan national football team.
Profile
Đorđević was the head coach of Bangladesh national football team with whom he became champion at the 2010 South Asian Games. He led Bangladesh to their first gold medal in 11 years at this competition, creating history by setting two new records: 4–0 victory vs. Afghanistan is the biggest winning margin in the final in the 26 year history of this competition and becoming champion without a single goal conceded in the tournament. Before this he was the head coach of Churchill Brothers SC in the Indian Professional League, the I-League. Đorđević was the first foreign coach to become champion of India when Churchill Brothers won the 2008–09 I-League, their first national league title in club history, after finishing as runners-up on four previous occasions. He is also the first foreigner to receive the prestigious S. A. Rahim Trophy for the best coach of the year from the All India Football Federation. FIFA and President Sepp Blatter sent a congratulatory letter to Đorđević for this achievement. Additionally he led the club to become state champions of Goa and reached qualification for the AFC Champions Leaguefor the first time.
Đorđević was appointed head coach of the Philippines U-21's in January 2012.
Club coaching career
On June 9, 2007, Đorđević signed a contract with IPL club F.C. Zob Ahan for the 2007–08 season following the departure of Rasoul Korbekandi who resigned due to health issues. He was sacked in October 2007 following unsatisfactory results in the 2007–08 Iran Pro League season. Coach Đorđević removed from the starting lineup some experienced players who did not fit into his concept and promoted from the youth team a 17-year-old goalkeeper Mohammad Bagher Sadeghi and 16-year-old Mohsen Mosalman who became the youngest player ever to score a goal against Persepolis F.C. – the most successful and biggest club in Iran. His disagreements with the club management over player selection led to his departure from the club, claiming he wanted to build a champion team at a club which never finished higher than 5th position in the Iranian League. After coach Đorđević's departure, in the very next season Zob Ahan club won the national cup which was their second trophy in club history and narrowly lost the league on the final match of the season, finishing 2nd on goal difference. Many in Esfahan today praise ZĐorđević for his farsighted vision and his contribution of launching the careers of talented young players who reached the Iran national team. Tomislav Savic, the former goalkeeper coach of Atletico Madrid who was brought to the club by head coach Đorđević, received the best goalkeeper coach award in Iran in 2008–09 and still remains with the club into his fourth season. On February 5, 2007, Đorđević was appointed head-coach of UAE2nd Division side Al-Rams. In the first disastrous half of the 2006–07 season, the club was at the bottom of the standings with only one point and had not registered a single win which led to the dismissal of their Egyptian coach. After coach Zoran's arrival in mid-season, against all the odds he managed to revitalize the team. He created a sensational result when with the bottom club Al-Rams won 4–3 against the league leaders Ajman Club who were until then favourites for promotion to UAE Premier League. 2008–09 Churchill Brothers SC
First Foreign Coach India League Champion
First Foreigner to receive the Best Coach of the year award in India
Received a congratulation letter from FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter for this unique achievement
Churchill Brothers SC 9–1 victory over Vasco SC is the record biggest winning margin in I-League history
''Coach Zoran and His African Tigers''
During 2012, Đorđević was the subject of a documentary by British filmmaker Sam Benstead. The documentary looked at Đorđević's time as South Sudan national football team in which he led South Sudan to a 2-2 draw with Uganda in their inaugural FIFA recognised international friendly and their campaign in the 2012 CECAFA Cup.
