Ilija Petkovic
Author:
Fonet
“My contract with the (Serbia-Montenegro's Football) Association expired today and I cease to be coach,” Petkovic said. “Only history will decide how I did in leading our national team over the past three years."
"For three years, I was looking for players that would beat Argentina, but there were no such ones here, or there were but I did not know how to find them.”
"We had quite a few problems before the World Cup, such as injuries to crucial players, but we lacked quality on the field, individually, not strategically."
The team suffered three defeats in its three first-round matches: 1-0 against the Netherlands, 6-0 against Argentina and 3-2 against Ivory Coast.