A commemoration on the occasion of the death of the sports director of FK Vojvodina, Milan Kosanović, was held today in the ceremonial hall of FC Vujadin Boškov in Veternik.
In the presence of family members, the Mayor of Novi Sad Miloš Vučević, representatives of the management and coaching staff of FK Vojvodina, as well as representatives of FC Red Star, Football Association of Serbia and Football Association of Vojvodina, memories were evoked and honor was paid to the man who did with his kindness, deeds and work to never be forgotten, but to live forever in the memory and hearts of all those who loved him and had the privilege of knowing him.
After a minute of silence was held and a video with some of the most beautiful moments from his rich career was shown, the president of FK Vojvodina, Dragoljub Samardžić, first addressed the audience.
– We lost our Kosan. Our stars do not shine brightly, because there is no more cheerful spirit, face, warm smile, which was Christianly sincere and healing for all of us. Milan was a visionary with football skills. He knew surgically accurately to recognize the brightest pearls in our young players and not only to recognize them, but to embrace them as a parent and show them the real football path, the path of their future. He knew a lot about football and selflessly gave everything to football. Wherever he worked, in Vojvodina, in the national teams, Red Star, he was completely dedicated to his work, which always gave fantastic results. With Milan’s departure, Vojvodina football club lost a lot, especially his family, his wife Nataša and son Luka. Vojvodina will do everything it can to help the Kosanović family, to jointly share the loss and pain with the departure of our Milan.
Milan, I want to tell you out loud today that we will never abandon or forget all the changes that we jointly planned until just the other day. The joint plan was for our Voša to soon lift the trophy of the Serbian football champion for the third time. I will not say “goodbye” to you today, because it is not and cannot be the end of our cooperation. I am sure, wherever you are, that you will continue to help us endlessly and that we will eventually achieve all our common goals. May the earth be easy for you and give you eternal glory – said the President of Vojvodina, Dragoljub Samardžić.
The acting president of the Football Federation of Serbia, Marko Pantelić, also said goodbye to Milan Kosanović with an emotional message.
– One legend, also from Novi Sad, who recently left us, and who, like our Kosan, created in his lifetime what many are left with only a dream, said: “people are like shells, you have to open thousands of them to find a pearl”. And I want now, sincerely and with the greatest respect, in front of football Serbia, to pay homage to the one who, together with Paunović, Mitrović, Milošević, Mrkela, realized the dream of all of us and became the world champion and as such became – immortal. Kosan, champions never die. You were, you are, and you will remain the pride of your city, your Vojvodina, your and our Alliance, all those pearls, Sergej, Mijat and all the others that you created, made them good people and winners. Fate wanted you to leave us too soon, but your works remain in the clubs where you worked, in Vojvodina, Red Star and the Football Association. You gave us a beautiful past, and football through the talents you created and a beautiful future. May you have eternal glory and thanks for everything. Rest in peace, Kosan – said Pantelić.
The president of FC Red Star, Svetozar Mijailović, thanked Milan Kosanović for everything he did for our football.
– Our Milan Kosanović moved to eternity. Cheerful and smiling. Modest and smart. Quiet and unobtrusive. Precious and flawless. A brave sheret, with a special charm, a benevolent, witty comrade-in-arms, he lived like in a time of noise and rage, with the clear thought that only work and honesty can earn everyone’s respect. He established the principle of knowledge, steadfastness, as an inviolable postulate that he confirmed every day spent in this world. He spoke about football unmistakably accurately, running out future events on the pitch, but never pretentiously and intrusively. He spoke when asked, and then, with the charm of his intellect, disarmed even those who were suspicious of his unquestionable optimism. A great friend and a great support in difficult and uncertain moments, he always found a thought that would lead to laughter, and that laughter would lead to self-confidence and strange self-confidence to those to whom he directed them, often drawing on his board with a felt-tip pen, not only a football game. Kosan’s spirit was a confirmation that often during our lives we are not aware that there are people next to us who are there for the sake of others, to teach us, to guide us, to enlighten us. He was a teacher who did not finish his thought, he weaved himself and his philosophy into all of us, which will continue to develop and live through all those to whom he was dedicated, and he was sparing to many. A good, big, smiling, eternal boy, our Kosan. This is a great loss for the family, for football. We at Red Star are proud to have you. Milan, rest in peace. May you have eternal glory and praise – said Mijailović.
The director of the Youth Academy of Vojvodina Ilija Pantelić, Duško Grujić, will never forget how much influence Milan Kosanović had on everyone in the club.
– His charisma, humor, communication, were exceptional. His intelligence, speed of thinking, football knowledge and ability to pass that knowledge on to others were unsurpassed. Activity in work, constant desire for progress and great faith in work and success, were the driving force for all of us. We were lucky to live and work with him, and he gave himself to all of us, improved our careers, changed our lives. He unmistakably led the young players through their football and life warm-up, he surrendered to them with all his heart, he was a support at all times. Working with young players is familiar to everyone, and not to mention all the players from his football workshop, it would take a lot more time, and I’m afraid I would leave someone out. He guided young coaches, revealed the secrets of football games to them, and was a mentor in the true sense of the word. So he helped me too, but not to be a coach, because working with him listening to his visions I realized that I would not be a quality coach, as he was, because he was the best of all. When someone makes a good result in the club, they say he was lucky, and our Kosan made good results, wherever he worked. It’s just that the situation with him was different, because all of us who worked with him were lucky to have Kosan, who always knew how to make a result. He was a two-time champion with our U-19 team, won the first trophy in the Cup, became a world champion with the U-20 national team, played the Champions League with Red Star. I think we agree that we were all really lucky because we had Kosan with us. He was the link that all of us needed to be more successful and better. And that is why this is an irreparable loss for everyone, especially for us from Novi Sad, to which he returned only a few months ago, to his family, his city and his club. But I know champions never die. May you have eternal glory and praise for everything you have done, and you have done a lot, my friend – said Grujić.
The education manager of the football coaches of the FSS and FSV, Spasoje Jelačić, sent another strong message at the end.
– Talking about the coaching work of Milan Kosanović is not an easy task. Even as a player, he showed talent and the gift to recognize all the charms of the football game. With his attitudes and understandings, he showed that he has great potential for a coaching job. It was possible to talk to Kosan about football, about players, coaches, for hours. From the beginning of his coaching career in the football club Indeks, through the younger selections of Novi Sad, coaching two football clubs, he showed that he has a brilliant coaching career ahead of him, which was later shown. In 2003, he came to Vojvodina, which became his second home. He was the state champion with the U-19 team of Vojvodina, he was a member of the coaching staff who won the first trophy in the National Cup in 2014, with a constellation of young players from the U-19 team he formed, who later made enviable national and international careers. His work was also recognized in the Football Association of Serbia, so he got an important role in the coaching staff of Veljko Paunovic, with whom he became world champion, defeating one Brazil in the final, with a large number of players he trained and shaped. In 2016, as the Manager of the U-17 national team of Serbia, he won the tournament Stevan Vilotić, beating Israel 3-1, proving that he never loses the final. Being an actor in the Champions League is certainly a dream and the crown of the career of everyone who plays football, and Milan Kosanović succeeded in that by taking a new path and new challenges. He returned Serbia to the map of Europe as an assistant coach in the Red Star, when he participated in the Champions League twice. Then he went abroad with Vladan Milojević, but his love for Novi Sad and Vojvodina forced him to return and become the sports director of his Old Lady in January. His great desire to pass on all his knowledge to everyone in Vojvodina has become a reality. With his departure, the plans, programs, visions of the modern club remained written down on paper. We hope that we will continue on his path, because we all owe it to our Kosan. We must not forget everything he gave to football. May he have eternal glory – said Jelačić.
Through video messages, the manager of Reading, Veljko Paunović, the player of Hoffenheim, Mijat Gaćinović, and the player of Kairat, Nebojša Kosović, who became extremely attached to Milan Kosanović during their careers and participated in numerous great successes together with him, also said goodbye.
