Bologna president Joey Saputo released an emotional statement paying tribute to former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, who sadly passed away aged 53.
The former defender died at a clinic in Rome this morning following a long battle with leukaemia. After his diagnosis in July 2019, the Rossoblu decided to stick by Mihajlovic, and he stayed in his role for three years before his dismissal in September of this year. During these three years, the coach underwent three cycles of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Speaking to Bologna’s media department, Saputo remembered the qualities of Mihajlovic and their relationship.
“The news of Sinisa’s death leaves me deeply grieving. I knew that his condition had deteriorated a lot in the last few days, yet it seemed impossible for me to receive, so soon, this terrible announcement.
“With Mihajlovic we lose first of all an extraordinary and never trivial man, who knew how to alternate his celebrated gruff attitudes with uncommon sweetness and sympathy. We also lose a great champion, who, as a player first and as a coach later, gave so much to football.
“I, as president of Bologna, feel like expressing once again my gratitude to him for what he did for our club in these three and a half years, despite the fact that illness had forced him into long hospitalizations and very painful treatments.
“The decision to relieve him of his duties, when it had become impossible to continue such complex work under these difficult conditions, was, as I have already had occasion to say, the most painful of my entire administration.
“Today my thoughts go to his mother Viktorija, his wife Arianna, his children and his entire family: to them goes my and Bologna’s gratitude in the memory of a son, a husband, a father, of whom they can always be proud.”
During his three and a half years in charge of Bologna, Mihajlovic oversaw 131 matches in total, averaging 1.25 points per match. He maintained a close relationship with his squad despite his serious illness, and they often visited him during his periods in the hospital.
The passing of Mihajlovic has seen tributes and support pour in from across the Serie A world.