On Wednesday, Bologna rewarded Serbian coach Sinisa Mihajlovic with a one-year contract extension, as he continues to manage the Italian club despite being treated with cancer. The 51-year-old was diagnosed with acute leukemia and had a bone marrow transplant before the season began.
“Bologna FC 1909 confirms that an agreement has been reached with Sinisa Mihajlovic to extend his contract until June 30, 2023,” the club said in a statement.
Mihajlovic said he felt “stronger than before” this week, after spending the season dividing his time between the hospital and the pitch.
In January 2019, the former international player from Yugoslavia took over from Filippo Inzaghi helping the team pull off a stunning top-flight survival. The club was 18th with just two wins from 21 games when the coach arrived from former Serbia, AC Milan, Sampdoria, and Torino, lifting them to a 10th place finish. As a consequence, he was awarded a contract until June 2022.
Early in his playing career, Mihajlović marked himself out with an extraordinarily long-distance ability to strike, cross and pass. His precise curling yet hard-driven left-footed shot enabled him to regularly score spectacular free-kick goals.
Bologna is 10th in this term in Series A and Juventus host champions in their first match on June 22 in nearly four months.
