In a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport, Sinisa Mihajlovic had much to say about the many questionable incidents during his time in football. He was often in the spotlight for controversial behaviour on and off the football pitch.
The former defensive midfielder was still very highly regarded for his precision, accuracy with passes and set-pieces; alongside fellow Serie A specialist Andrea Pirlo, the Serb holds the record for most free-kick goals with a tally of 28.
But while the Inter and Lazio faithful will fondly remember his tenacity, that memorable hard-nosed temperament often led to unsavoury episodes in his career. Here, Sport360 selects five controversial moments indicative of the 47-year-old’s stint as player and manager.
Great defensive players have often resorted to mind games with their opponents. Mihjalovic was well-versed with this notion, but his tempestuous nature meant he took it too far on a couple of occasions.
The first spitting incident occurred during the 1998 World Cup when Yugoslavia faced Germany in the group stages. Unhappy with Mihajlovic’s tough challenge, Jens Jeremies voiced his indignation towards his opponent, who proceeded to spit in his face.
The other incident was in a Champions League encounter between Chelsea and Lazio, when the Serb vented his frustration with Adrian Mutu by spitting again. On this occasion, a lengthy eight-match ban was his punishment from UEFA.
Years prior to that Chelsea episode, Lazio hosted another Premier League club in Arsenal at the Stadio Olimpico. Mihajlovic was in a volatile mood throughout the match and had several run-ins with Gunners before initiating an infamous war of words with Patrick Vieira after the final whistle.
The Frenchman accused Mihajlovic of racist abuse and the police were quick to react, conducting an investigation that could have left the Serb possibly facing jail time. He apologised for his behaviour and, fortunately for him, Vieira didn’t press charges (see 5:00).
The Yugoslav Wars had a profound effect on Mihajlovic and his unfaltering love for his nation was manifest during a historic encounter between Yugoslavian rivals Hajduk Split (Croatia) and Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) in 1991. Hajduk’s Igor Stimac insulted Mihajlovic’s family, provoking the Serb to attempt to seriously injure Stimac, who did little to defuse the situation.
Mihajlovic eventually lost his composure and scythed down another Hajduk player, an incident that led to a temporary stoppage of play with both sets of players engaging in a brawl. Mihajlovic was sent off for his offence. History would soon repeat itself a month later in June with Mihajlovic given the marching orders after seeking to exact a personal vendetta.
During his time as AC Milan manager, Mihajlovic endured a difficult relationship with club president Silvio Berlusconi. And following a string of unfavourable results, the Serbian tactician was sacked.
Kevin-Prince Boateng’s partner, TV presenter Melissa Satta suggested Cristian Brocchi, future interim manager, should be regarded as the primary candidate in line for replacement, citing her underlying reason as his ability to make a ‘healthy impact’.
When asked by a popular Italian programme his thoughts on Satta’s thinly-veiled criticism, Mihajlovic kicked off a sexism storm, saying: “I’m not sexist, but I don’t think women should talk about football, they are not suited to talk about it.”
