Vipers Sports Club has confirmed the appointment of Nikola Kavazovic as the club’s head coach. This comes a month after winding up the 2023/24 Uganda Premier League champion, where the six-time champions finished third and reached the quarterfinals of the Stanbic Uganda Cup.
Kavazovic was unveiled on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at St. Mary’s Stadium Kitende, where the 48-year-old Serbian coach has been awarded a two-year employment contract until 2026.
Kavazovic commended the club’s president for entrusting him with the job, stating that he is glad to be in Uganda.
“I’m happy to be in Uganda and at a big club like Vipers. I thank the club president, Dr. Lawrence Mulindwa, for the trust he has shown me,” Kavazovic said.
As the manager of more than 10 teams, including two national teams, Kavazovic has an impressive background in coaching.
Kavazovic coached Sri Lanka’s national senior team from 2014 to 2015, in addition to serving as the head coach of the Tajikistan national football team from 2012 to 2013.
He was FC Istiklol’s league champion when he was in Tajikistan and won the 2012 AFC Presidents Cup while leading Istiklol.
Additionally, he has managed FK BASK, OFK Zarkovo, Borak Banja Luka, and Resniki in Serbia in the past.
Kavazovic has held managerial positions at Saif in Bangladesh and New Radiant FC in the Maldives.
In Africa, he has coached at Kenya’s AFC Leopards, Botswana’s Township Rollers, South Africa’s Free State Stars, and most recently, at Ethiopian Coffee.
In addition to having a UEFA A license, Kavazovic has registered with the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a UEFA “PRO” license.
Kavazovic has managed the following clubs in the past: FC Borac Serbia (April 2008–Sept 2012), FC lstiklol Dushanbe (Jan 2012–June 2013), Sri Lanka National Team (June 2014–June 2015), Saif SC-Bangladesh (Sept 2016–April 2017), Township Rollers (July 2017–Nov 2018), Free State Stars (Dec 2018–July 2019), Jwaneng Galaxy (Sept 2019–July 2020), Township Rollers (July 2020–July 2022), Soua Flamingoes (Dec 2022–Aug 2023), and Ethiopia Coffee (Aug 2023–June 2024).
In July 2012, he became the youngest national team head coach in the world, aged 36.