Savo Milošević hired by Bosnia-Herzegovina as team's third different coach in Euro 2024 qualifying | AP News

Savo Milošević hired by Bosnia-Herzegovina as team’s third different coach in Euro 2024 qualifying

FILE - Savo Milosevic before the start of the Europa League group L soccer match between Manchester United and FK Partizan at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England, on Nov. 7, 2019. Former Serbia forward Savo Milošević has been hired to coach the Bosnia-Herzegovina national team. He is its third different coach during qualifying for the 2024 European Championship. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

FILE - Savo Milosevic before the start of the Europa League group L soccer match between Manchester United and FK Partizan at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England, on Nov. 7, 2019. Former Serbia forward Savo Milošević has been hired to coach the Bosnia-Herzegovina national team. He is its third different coach during qualifying for the 2024 European Championship. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Former Serbia forward Savo Milošević was hired to coach the Bosnia-Herzegovina national team on Friday, its third different coach during qualifying for the 2024 European Championship.

Bosnia has struggled in its qualifying group this year under previous coaches Faruk Hadzibegic and Meho Kodro though it already has a guaranteed place in the playoffs in March.

The national soccer federation said Milošević was elected unanimously by its executive board. He last worked as a coach two years ago with Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana.

Milošević was born in Yugoslavia in what is now the independent state of Bosnia-Herzegovina and started his career in Belgrade with Partizan. He left to join Aston Villa and later played for clubs in Spain, Italy and Russia.

In his international career, Milošević played more than 100 times for the national team that was called FR Yugoslavia at Euro 2000 then Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup.

Milošević’s first games as the Bosnians’ coach next month are at Liechtenstein and home to Portugal. The team is fourth in the six-team group standings with four rounds left.

His predecessor as coach, Kodro, lasted two games and fewer than seven weeks before being fired.

Bosnia last year earned a Euro 2024 playoffs entry by winning a Nations League group in the second-tier League B. That was achieved under a fourth different coach in the past year, Ivaylo Petev.

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