# Football coaching changes in Turkey and Serbia

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/football-coaching-changes-in-turkey-and-serbia
> Updated: 2026-10-22T15:16:43.000Z. Sources: 45. Developments: 3.

In mid-October 2026, several football coaching changes occurred in Turkey and Serbia. In Turkey, Samsunspor appointed Croatian manager Nenad Bjelica to replace Thorsten Fink following five consecutive losses.

In Serbia, Nenad Lalatović returned to manage Novi Pazar, taking over from Strahinja Pandurović. Lalatović, who expressed strong emotional ties to the city, stated his primary objective is to secure results to reach the playoffs and potentially qualify for European competitions. His return follows the reappointment of player Adem Ljajić to the squad. Lalatović noted that his first major challenge would be a match against IMT, a team he described as a “highly organized and dangerous opponent.”

Lalatović’s debut match resulted in a 2-1 defeat for Novi Pazar against IMT during the 12th round of the Serbian Superliga. The match was significantly impacted when Papa Gadio received a red card in the 27th minute following a VAR review. Although Novi Pazar took the lead through Kahim Dikson in the 48th minute, IMT capitalized on their numerical advantage with goals from Keita and Kamano to secure the win. The loss dropped Novi Pazar to ninth place in the standings.

Following the defeat, Lalatović criticized referee Nikola Radaković, alleging that 16 errors were made against his team and that early yellow cards placed them in an unfairly difficult position. The club issued a formal statement demanding the lifetime exclusion of Radaković from all future Novi Pazar matches and called on the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) to provide answers. Regarding the upcoming match against Radnički Niš, Lalatović expressed satisfaction with the appointment of referee Srđan Jovanović, whom he described as one of the best in Serbia.

## Timeline

### 2026-10-22: Nenad Lalatović praises referee selection for Novi Pazar match

Novi Pazar coach Nenad Lalatović welcomed the appointment of Srđan Jovanović as referee for the upcoming match against Radnički Niš, calling him one of Serbia's best officials.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nenad-lalatovi-praises-referee-selection-for-novi-pazar-match

### 2026-10-17: Novi Pazar manager demands referee exclusion after loss to IMT

Novi Pazar manager Nenad Lalatović has demanded the lifetime exclusion of referee Nikola Radaković following a controversial 2-1 loss to IMT in the Serbian Superliga.

29 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/nenad-lalatovi-returns-as-novi-pazar-head-coach

### 2026-10-14: Nenad Bjelica and Nenad Lalatović appointed as new football managers

Nenad Bjelica has been appointed as the new manager of Samsunspor in Turkey, while Nenad Lalatović makes a return to manage Novi Pazar in Serbia.

20 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/samsunspor-reaches-agreement-with-nenad-bjelica

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Cite as: Football coaching changes in Turkey and Serbia. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/football-coaching-changes-in-turkey-and-serbia