Ognjen Koroman (foto: Uradni Twitter profil kluba/zveze)
Shocking news has swept the entire region. A great football ace first verbally and then physically assaulted his former partner, leading to his arrest and police intervention.
Scandal! Former Red Star Belgrade footballer and national team player, Ognjen Koroman (44), has been arrested for violence against his ex-partner. Regrettably, this isn't Koroman's first time facing the court.
Former national team player for Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, Ognjen Koroman, was detained for verbal and physical abuse against his ex-partner. Reports suggest that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.
If the findings from "Kurir" are accurate, Koroman faces an investigation and potential punishment. The diminutive forward had a brilliant career both in Serbia and abroad, playing in the 2006 World Cup in Germany and even being part of the Premier League.
Born in Pale in 1978, Koroman began his career in the youth team of Željezničar from Sarajevo before moving to Red Star Belgrade. After finishing his youth career in 1997, he played for Radnički from Kragujevac, then for Spartak from Subotica. After a fantastic season with OFK Belgrade in 2002, he moved to Russia.
Following a successful season with Dynamo Moscow, he played for the national team and then had two more competitive cycles with Krylia Sovetov., followed by half a year with Terek from Grozny. His excellent performances in Russia and even better ones for the Serbian national team caught the attention of Harry Redknapp, who brought him to Portsmouth, where he played four matches.
After an unsuccessful stint in England, he returned to Belgrade and successfully wore the Red Star jersey for two seasons. He won both the league title and the cup with the red-whites. He then spent a year in South Korea before returning to Red Star Belgrade, finally ending his career in 2013 with Krylia Sovetov.
For the national teams of FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, he played excellently. For a time, he was one of the key players and eventually participated in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where he played two matches. He made 36 appearances for the national team.
During his first period at Red Star, he was also remembered for a scandal. In 2009, in the "Marakana" tunnel, he assaulted Hajduk Kula footballer Duško Dukić, for which he was convicted in 2015. Dukić suffered a concussion from the altercation with Koroman, who later apologized.
After retiring, he worked with younger categories at Red Star and also tried his hand as a senior coach. He began in 2019 as the coach of Žarkovo, then took over Smederevo, and his last engagement was in 2022 as the coach of Tekstilac from Derventa.