Serbian volleyball is experiencing one of its toughest moments in the last three decades. After the 0:3 (14:25, 13:25, 22:25) defeat to Slovenia in the EuroVolley 2026 round of 16, local media are not sparing their criticism, and the future of head coach Gheorghe Crețu has also come into question.
For the first time since 1995, Serbia is ending a European Championship before the quarterfinals. It is precisely this historically weak ranking, and most importantly, the manner in which the elimination occurred, that sets the tone for reactions in the country.
Even the official website of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia is unusually critical. OSSRB describes the first two sets against Slovenia as the weakest for the team in this championship and probably among the weakest in the last few years. The Federation notes that it is difficult to recall such a helpless performance by Serbia in the elimination phase of a major tournament.
The second set was particularly difficult, with Slovenia leading 9:1, 16:5, and 19:6 before closing it out at 25:13. Only in the third set did the Serbs manage to find different energy and stay close to their opponent until the end.
Captain Nikola Jovović also did not seek excuses and described the team's performance as "pale," and at certain moments, "unwatchable."
Crețu's future is now a topic
After the match, Gheorghe Crețu was directly asked if he would continue to lead the national team. "That is something the federation must decide," the Romanian specialist replied.
Crețu did not announce an intention to leave, but left the decision entirely in the hands of the Volleyball Federation of Serbia. At the same time, he defended the work done and recalled the main task set before the staff – the generational change. According to him, experienced Dražen Luburić, Marko Ivović, and Nikola Jovović played an important role in this process, while the young players gradually received more and more opportunities. Crețu also pointed out that some of them have already found clubs in Italy, Germany, and Russia, where they will be able to continue their development.
"I think we did what they asked of us at the beginning – to introduce the new guys. It takes time for them to reach a certain level," explained the coach.
From generational change to the painful result
Thus, after EuroVolley, the bigger question remains for the Serbian federation – whether the initiated rejuvenation will continue with the same coach.
Crețu has the argument that building a new team requires time. Against him, however, stands the result of the championship and, most importantly, the performance against Slovenia, where the coach himself admitted that easy mistakes "destroyed the match" in the first two sets.
For now, the federation has not announced a decision. However, after what happened in Turin, the discussion around the coaching position has already begun, and the answer will show whether Serbia will continue the process started with Crețu or seek a change before the next big season.
photo: Nikolay Varadinov
