Slobodan Kovač is a Serbian volleyball coach and former Olympic champion who serves as head coach of Türkiye’s men’s national team in the 2026 cycle. The Turkish federation appointed him in July 2025, and he remained in charge for EuroVolley 2026. Kovač began that national-team assignment while also coaching Fenerbahçe Medicana, but the club and coach separated in January 2026, leaving the Türkiye role as his principal current position.
His coaching résumé stretches across Serbia, Italy, Turkey, Poland, Russia and Iran, with national-team assignments for Iran, Slovenia and Serbia before Türkiye. The most important result of his senior national-team coaching career came in 2019, when he took over Serbia and led the team to the European Championship title. Kovač also brings the perspective of a high-level former outside hitter. As a player for Yugoslavia, he won Olympic bronze at Atlanta 1996 and Olympic gold at Sydney 2000. That playing history links him directly to one of the strongest generations of Balkan men’s volleyball, while his coaching path has been far more geographically varied. The Türkiye appointment combines those strands: a former elite international player managing a national program that has increasingly tried to convert strong club-league depth into consistent major-tournament results.
Coach Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Slobodan Kovač |
| Date of Birth | 13 September 1967 |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Former Playing Position | Outside Hitter |
| Current Role | Head Coach |
| Current Team | Türkiye Men’s National Team |
| Career Status | Active coach |
| Selected Coaching Achievement | CEV European Championship winner with Serbia men (2019) |