Petrovic quits Crvena Zvezda post

'Worst days of my career'
In the wake of that first-leg loss on Thursday, Petrovic had talks yesterday with president Dragan Dzajic and other club officials before announcing his resignation this morning. Petrovic, who won the European Champion Clubs' Cup with Crvena Zvezda in 1991, returned to the club this summer to replace Slavoljub Muslin, but described the disappointments that have followed as "the worst days of my career".

Champions League disappointment
The Serbo-Montenegrin champions suffered their biggest defeat in European competition when PSV Eindhoven thrashed them 5-0 in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League last month - and this after a promising 3-2 first-leg win. At home, meanwhile, they lost their opening game of the season for the first time in six years when beaten 1-0 by FK Borac Cacak, and have won just one of their three games so far.

'Only option'
Petrovic said: "I don't know what I can do with my players. In training, they give their all but on the pitch, they are very bad. I've tried to change things but without success. Maybe the only option is to go. I do not understand what happened to us in Eindhoven and in St Petersburg."

Likely candidates
Petrovic won three domestic titles with the Belgrade club during his two spells at the helm and club president Dzajic insisted that he "wanted to keep Petrovic". For tomorrow's home match against FK Hajduk Beograd, Petrovic's assistant Milan Rajevac will take charge but the likeliest candidates to take the post on a permanent basis are former Serbia and Montenegro Under-21 coach Vladimir Petrovic - a Crvena Zvezda old boy - and Ratko Dostanic, now coaching in Bulgaria with PFC Slavia Sofia but previously assistant to Muslin at the club in 1999/2000.