Former Tajikistan head coach Goran Stevanović has told Eurasia Football that the team’s Asian Cup qualifying campaign should be judged in the context of major injury problems.
“It is very important to say that we played without some of our best players. Hanonov was out for six months with an injury, Jalilov also missed six months, and so did Amadoni Kamolov. These are three extremely important players for the Tajikistan national team. That is why this result carries even more weight,” Stevanović said.
Speaking about Vahdat Hanonov, Stevanović stressed that the defender’s absence was not the coaching staff’s decision.
He said he tried three times to contact the player and even offered him treatment in Serbia, but Hanonov was not ready for the decisive matches.
“Who would not want Hanonov in the team? There are no such coaches. I want him in the national team. For me, he is one of the best players in Asia,” he said.
Stevanović described the qualifying group as demanding. He said the Maldives were a difficult opponent with quick attacking players, while Timor-Leste stood out because of their Portuguese coaching staff, whose quality he has known since his own playing days.
He also singled out the Philippines as the strongest team in the group.
“The Philippines were perhaps the strongest side. They have many naturalized players who play in Europe and are very strong physically. We played a very smart match against them and had a real chance to win,” he said.
Stevanović added that success against teams coached by specialists from Portugal and Spain carried particular weight for him professionally.
“Timor-Leste are led by Portuguese coaches, and the Philippines by Spanish coaches. These are top coaching schools. We achieved success against teams like that, and that means a lot to me professionally,” he said.
Under Stevanović, Tajikistan played four matches, recording three wins and one draw with a goal difference of 11:1. He left the national team with the highest points percentage of any head coach in Tajikistan’s history.
The Serbian coach said he believes the team can continue to grow.
“Tajikistan can achieve something serious at the Asian Cup. A new stadium will be completed soon, and a talented generation is coming through. Tajikistan will very soon become a very competitive national team,” he said.
Stevanović also did not rule out a return to Central Asia.
“Of course, we will see what happens next. I need to find a good club or a national team. I do not know what will happen in the coming months. That is normal. I will consider all options and all offers,” he said.
Stevanović took charge of Tajikistan in the autumn of 2025. Under his leadership, the team won three of its four matches and drew the other one, including the key game against the Philippines, to secure qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup.
Tajikistan will now appear at the tournament for only the second time in its history. The national team first qualified for the Asian Cup in 2023 under Croatian coach Petar Šegrt.
It remains unclear who will take charge of the team next. The Tajikistan Football Federation has not yet made an official statement.
During his playing career, Stevanović featured for Partizan Belgrade in the 1980s alongside Predrag Mijatović, Zlatko Zahovič and Srečko Katanec, who later coached Uzbekistan. In the 1990s, he also played in Portugal for Campomaiorense, where he shared a dressing room with future Kazakhstan head coach Stanimir Stoilov.
As a coach, Stevanović won the Serbian league title with Partizan and led Ghana to the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations. He has also worked with Serbia’s youth national team and clubs in Greece and China.
