Slobodan Kovač

Slobodan Kovač (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Ковач; born 13 September 1967) is a Serbian professional volleyball coach of Fenerbahçe (since 2024) and Turkey men's national volleyball team (since 2025), and also former player, Olympic Champion at Sydney 2000, bronze medallist at the Olympic Games in Atlanta 1996 and the 2019 European Championship winner.

Slobodan Kovač
Kovač as Sir Safety Perugia head coach.
Personal information
Nickname	Boba
Born	(1967-09-13) 13 September 1967 (age 58) Veliko Gradište, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Coaching information
Previous teams coached Years Teams 2008–2010 2010–2014 2014–2015 2015–2016 2016–2018 2017–2018 2018–2019 2019–2021 2019–2020 2020–2021 2021–2022 2023–2024 2024– 2025– Radnički Kragujevac Sir Safety Perugia Iran Sir Safety Perugia Halkbank Ankara Slovenia Belogorie Belgorod Serbia Jastrzębski Węgiel Top Volley Cisterna Skra Bełchatów Halkbank Ankara Fenerbahçe Turkey
Volleyball information
Position	Outside hitter
Career
Years Teams 1983–1985 1985–1988 1988–1992 1992–1993 1993–1994 1994–1995 1995–1999 1999–2002 2002–2003 2003 2004 2004–2006 2006–2007 VGSK Veliko Gradište Kolubara Vojvodina Novi Sad Gallo Gioia Del Colle Aris Thessaloniki ASPC Gioia del Colle Volley Lube Taranto Volley A.S. Pallavolo Agnone GFC Ajaccio VB Indeco Molfetta Shahrdari Urmia Radnički Kragujevac
National team
1991 1996–2003 Yugoslavia Serbia and Montenegro
Honours Men's volleyball Representing  Serbia and Montenegro Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 1996 Atlanta CEV European Championship 1997 Netherlands 1995 Greece Head coach  Iran Asian Games 2014 South Korea Head coach  Serbia CEV European Championship 2019 Belgium/France/Netherlands/Slovenia

Career

As a coach

In 2014, he was appointed new head coach of the Iranian national volleyball team until the Olympic Games Rio 2016.^[1] That same year he led Iranian team to its first gold medal at Asian games. In 2017, he took charge of the Slovenian national volleyball team.^[2][3]

From 2010 to 2014, Kovač was head coach of the Italian team, Sir Safety Perugia. In 2016, he became new head coach of Halkbank Ankara.^[4]

Honours

As a player

• Domestic
  • 1988–89 Yugoslavian Championship, with Vojvodina Novi Sad
  • 1991–92 Serbia and Montenegro Cup, with Vojvodina Novi Sad
  • 1991–92 Serbia and Montenegro Championship, with Vojvodina Novi Sad

As a coach

• CEV Challenge Cup
  • 2018–19 – with Belogorie Belgorod^[5][6]

• Domestic
  • 2008–09 Serbian Championship, with Radnički Kragujevac
  • 2009–10 Serbian Championship, with Radnički Kragujevac
  • 2016–17 Turkish Championship, with Halkbank Ankara
  • 2017–18 Turkish Cup, with Halkbank Ankara
  • 2017–18 Turkish Championship, with Halkbank Ankara
  • 2024–25 Turkish Cup, with Fenerbahçe İstanbul

Individual awards

• 2008: Coach of the year in Serbia
• 2009: Coach of the year in Serbia
• 2010: Coach of the year in Serbia
• 2013: Coach of the year in Italy
• 2014: Coach of the year in Italy^[7]
• 2019: CEV – Coach of the year^[8]
• 2019: Coach of the Year by the Olympic Committee of Serbia

See also

• Matches of Serbian men's volleyball national team conducted by Slobodan Kovač