SC Villa unveiled Serbian Dusan Stojanovic on Tuesday, June 13 as their new manager, becoming the second StarTimes Uganda Premier League side to appoint a European coach.
Villa’s move came just a day after their traditional rivals KCCA FC appointed Portuguese Sergio Moniz Traguil.
KCCA and SC Villa lost out on the league title to Vipers, who are coached by Ugandan Alex Isabirye, in the recently-concluded 2022-23 season.
Stojanovic replaces Jackson Magera, who led SC Villa to a third-place finish in the league last season.
By appointing European coaches, the two sides have already raised their ambitions in challenging Vipers for the top honours next season. Vipers won both the league title and Uganda Cup trophy.
Stojanovic has experience in African football after working under his compatriot Milutin Micho Sredojevic in Egypt and Zambia.
He was Micho’s assistant at Egyptian club, Zamalek, and Zambia national team between 2019 and 2020.
Understandably, Micho, who formerly coached SC Villa in the early 2000s, brokered Stojanovic’s move to the Jogoos.
On the other hand, KCCA’s Tragu il has previously coached clubs in Botswana, Ghana, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique and Oman.
Meanwhile, Villa appointed former KCCA manager Morley Byekwaso as assistant to Stojanovic in a move expected to help the Serb in connect with club’s youth team.
Byekwaso, who resigned from the KCCA manager’s job last season, is also the designated as the youth coach at Villa.