Early exit for Lion City Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic
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Lion City Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic gestures to fans after winning the Singapore Cup final at Jalan Besar Stadium on Jan 10, 2026.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
- Lion City Sailors part ways with Aleksandar Rankovic after a 2-0 loss in the Asean Club Championship.
- Assistant coach Varo Moreno has been appointed the interim coach. The Sailors are top of the SPL but have struggled regionally.
- Rankovic led Sailors to SPL title, three Singapore Cups and Community Shield.
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SINGAPORE – In a surprise move, Lion City Sailors coach Aleksandar Rankovic has parted ways with the Singapore Premier League (SPL) side after 2½ years, the club announced on Feb 6.
Assistant coach Varo Moreno will take interim charge of the Sailors’ first team, ahead of their SPL match against the Young Lions on Feb 8.
“The club would like to place on record our sincere appreciation to Ranko for leading us in a highly successful chapter of our history, and we wish him every success in his future endeavours,” said the Sailors in a statement.
They also confirmed that the search for a new coach is under way and Rankovic’s successor will be announced soon.
Rankovic’s departure comes after the Sailors’ 2-0 home defeat by Cambodian side Svay Rieng in the Asean Club Championship (ACC) on Feb 5.
Frustrated fans had taken to social media to voice their concerns, claiming that the football on display had been poor under the Serb. When contacted on Feb 6, the Sailors declined to comment further on the reasons for his departure.
Tan Chin Heng, editor of supporters’ website SailorFanTalk, told The Straits Times: “For a club like the Sailors, delivering the local league and cup titles is the minimum expectation, so the coaches and players are mostly judged on their performances in continental competition.
“Given the run of disappointing results in the ACL2 and ACC, the consensus among the fan base seemed to be that coach Ranko was not the right person to take the club to the next level, and he might not be able to see out the full length of his contract.
“However, it was still a shock to most that he is leaving so soon in the middle of the season.”
The Sailors are top of the eight-team SPL with a 100 per cent record after eight games, but the defending champions have struggled on the regional stage.
They are fourth in the six-team Group B of the ACC, with one win, a draw and three losses.
They also missed out on advancing to the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League Two (ACL2) after finishing third in their group, behind Indonesia’s Persib Bandung and Thailand’s Bangkok United.
Rankovic’s reign delivered the 2024-25 SPL title, three consecutive Singapore Cups (2023, 2024-25 and 2025-26) and the Singapore Community Shield in 2024.
The 47-year-old was named the SPL Coach of the Year in June 2025.
The club were losing finalists in the ACL2 in the 2024-25 season – they were beaten 2-1 by Emirati side Sharjah FC at the Bishan Stadium – but Rankovic was rewarded with a two-year extension following their historic run.
Tan added: “It was always going to be tough to match the highs of 2024-25, but many fans still have an emotional attachment to that fairy-tale run.
“While this is arguably a necessary change, I still felt a tinge of sadness upon hearing the news.”
