Stojkovic: Serbia will be competitive at EURO 2024, Vidic should show respect

BELGRADE - In an interview to Tanjug, Serbian football legend Dragan Pixie Stojkovic said he had accomplished all the objectives he had set for himself at the time of taking charge of the Serbia men's national football team.

Under Stojkovic's stewardship, Serbia qualified for the World Cup in Qatar, earned a slot in the UEFA Nations League A and made it to EURO 2024 after a 24-year absence from European championships.

He said the achievements were a great source of satisfaction to him both personally and professionally but that he was quite aware there was space for comprehensive improvements and noted that he would prepare his team to play competitive football in Germany and qualify for the knock-out stage of the tournament.

"My job is to ensure Serbia look good competitively at the EURO - including physically - and that the team looks intelligent and combative and that it sacrifices. That is how we can also expect to get a result," Stojkovic said.

Commenting on a statement by former Serbia international Nemanja Vidic that Stojkovic and his coaching staff have pocketed 16 mln euros during their two-year stint at the national football association, the Serbia boss said the claim was "complete nonsense and a stupid thing to say."

"He should show a bit more respect," Stojkovic said.

"The public must know that what he said is not true and that the amount of money I and my coaching staff have earned is much smaller," he said.

"Vidic and everyone else must know that I have helped the Association and filled its coffers both through the results achieved and through my personal connections," Stojkovic added.