Slavià ¡a Jokanovià(, ; born 16 August 1968) is a Serbian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of UAE Pro League club Al-Nasr.
A physical player considered strong in the air, he impressed at Partizan, before spending seven seasons in La Liga at the service of three clubs, appearing in 208 matches and scoring 31 goals, mainly for Tenerife. He also played for two years with Chelsea towards the end of his career, and represented Yugoslavia at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, earning 64 caps and scoring ten goals in an eleven-year international career.
JokanoviÃÂ began his managerial career in 2007, winning two consecutive doubles with Partizan, the 2012 Thai Premier League with Muangthong United, and leading Watford and Fulham to promotion to the Premier League in 2015 and 2018 respectively.
Born in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, SFR Yugoslavia, Jokanoviàstarted playing with his hometown club Novi Sad, and made his senior debut with neighbouring Vojvodina, helping it win its second national title in the 1988âÂÂ89 season, with four goals in 24 matches.
In 1990, Jokanoviàjoined Belgrade's Partizan. In his second year he helped the team win the domestic cup and, in his third, he scored 13 league goals (a career best), being one of several players to net in double digits â the team scored 103 in 36 matches â ' to the league conquest.
After his displays at Partizan, JokanoviÃÂ signed for Oviedo in Spain. During his two-year spell, he partnered compatriots Janko JankoviÃÂ, Nikola Jerkan and Robert ProsineÃÂki and, subsequently, he joined fellow La Liga club Tenerife for the 1995-96 season, being instrumental in their domestic and European consolidation.
In the summer 1999, Jokanoviàsigned for Deportivo La Coruña at the insistence of coach Javier Irureta, who deployed him in a partnership with Brazilians Donato and Mauro Silva. The trio combined for 85 matches and five goals, as the Galicians won their first ever league title.
After only one season with Deportivo, Jokanoviàsigned with Chelsea in October 2000, for ã1.7 million. Under coach Claudio Ranieri, he appeared 39 times for the Blues over two consecutive Premier League seasons, and played a total of 53 matches. He was released in July 2002, at nearly 34.
He subsequently retired from professional football, after playing just three months in the Spanish second division with Ciudad Murcia.
Jokanoviàplayed six times for SFR Yugoslavia, making his debut on 27 February 1991 in a friendly match against Turkey, when he played the last ten minutes after replacing à ½eljko PetroviÃÂ. He appeared in some UEFA Euro 1992 qualifying matches, helping the national team to top its group and being was selected for the final tournament, but the team was suspended due to the Yugoslav Wars.
During the last official match ever that SFR Yugoslavia played on 28 May 1992 against Fiorentina in Florence, Jokanoviàscored the only goal for his team and subsequently became the last man to score a goal for Yugoslavia. Fiorentina made a comeback and won the game 2âÂÂ1. The match was played just two days before the announcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution 757, which forbade Yugoslavia to participate at UEFA Euro 1992.
Jokanoviàrepresented FR Yugoslavia 58 times, representing the country the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. In the former competition, he scored his first two international goals in an 8âÂÂ1 away victory against the Faroe Islands in qualification before playing four complete matches as Yugoslavia reached the round of 16. Jokanoviàplayed three times at UEFA Euro 2000, being sent-off against Spain in a 3âÂÂ4 loss, with FR Yugoslavia reaching the quarter-finals.
Jokanoviàwas living in Madrid when, in September 2007, he joined the technical staff of Tercera División club Pinto. However, three months later, he became the head coach of Partizan, replacing Miroslav ÃÂukiÃÂ, who left to take the reins of the national team. His family (wife and three children) remained in the Spanish capital.
In May 2008, under JokanoviÃÂ's management, Partizan won the double (league and cup). He was also selected as the year's "Best Coach in Serbia" by the Football Association of Serbia, but refused to receive this award due to Partizan's poor results in the group stage of the UEFA Cup.
JokanoviÃÂ led Partizan to another double in his first full season, winning the league by a margin of 19 points over former team Vojvodina. Thus, he became the first coach in the club's history to successfully defend the title; on 5 September 2009, however, he left the post by mutual consent, bidding farewell through an open letter.
On 28 February 2012, Muangthong United introduced JokanoviÃÂ as their new head coach, and he signed a one-year contract, with an option for a further two years. In his first and only season, he led the team to the third Thai Premier League title in their history, going undefeated in the process.
In mid-July 2013, JokanoviÃÂ replaced Nikolay Mitov as manager of Bulgarian team Levski Sofia. He was relieved of his duties in October, due to poor results, but club supporters claimed that he should have been given time to change things around.
On 5 May 2014, Hércules appointed Jokanoviàas coach until the end of the season, replacing Quique Hernández, who had been sacked with the team in last place in the Segunda División table. He only managed one win in his five matches in charge, in an eventual relegation.
On 7 October 2014, Jokanoviàwas appointed on a short-term contract at the helm of English Championship club Watford, their fourth coach in five weeks. Under his leadership, the Hornets were promoted to the Premier League with one match to spare, sealing it with a 2âÂÂ0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion on 25 April 2015 for their 15th win in twenty matches; the team was also minutes away from winning the league title in the final match, but conceded an injury-time equaliser to Sheffield Wednesday that allowed Bournemouth to overtake them. On 5 June, after failing to agree to a new deal, Jokanoviàleft and was replaced by Quique Sánchez Flores.
On 14 June 2015, JokanoviÃÂ was appointed as coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv. On 25 August, he led the club to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in eleven years, after ousting Basel on the away goals rule.
JokanoviÃÂ lasted just over six months in the role before he elected to return to the Championship, joining Fulham on 27 December 2015 as head coach. After avoiding relegation by eleven points, he achieved his target of a top six position for his first full season at Craven Cottage. He was the EFL Championship Manager of the Month for April 2018 after taking 16 points from 18, having won the same award for Watford three years earlier; his compatriot forward Aleksandar MitroviÃÂ took the players' equivalent.
Jokanoviàled Fulham to promotion by beating Aston Villa 1âÂÂ0 at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 2018 in the play-off final. On 14 November, however, after seven consecutive winless results, and with the team ranking last, he was dismissed and replaced by Claudio Ranieri.
On 16 June 2019, JokanoviÃÂ was appointed at Qatari club Al-Gharafa, on a two-year deal. He was nominated for Manager of the Season in his first year in the Stars League.
On 27 May 2021, JokanoviÃÂ was appointed by newly relegated Sheffield United on a three-year deal, becoming the club's first manager from overseas. He was sacked on 25 November, having won six of 19 Championship games. Paul Heckingbottom replaced him.
On 17 June 2022, Jokanoviàsigned a contract with Russian Premier League club Dynamo Moscow for the upcoming season, with the option of two further years depending on performance. He was dismissed by Dynamo on 14 May 2023, following a 0âÂÂ3 home loss to Akhmat Grozny, with Dynamo in seventh place.
On 8 June 2025, JokanoviÃÂ was appointed as head coach of UAE Pro League club Al-Nasr.
Vojvodina
Partizan
Deportivo
Partizan
Muangthong United
Fulham