SPEAKERS - Adria Football Forum 2026

21 – 22 September 2026

Hotel Hyatt Regency, Belgrade

21 – 22 September 2026

Hotel Hyatt Regency, Belgrade

GUESTS AND SPEAKERS

Last year in Zagreb, we opened a new chapter in the professional development and connectivity of football across the region. The first edition gathered over 40 esteemed experts from the football world. Participants had the opportunity to hear renowned speakers, join panel discussions, network with colleagues from different countries and explore regional collaboration opportunities. This year, we continue building on those foundations — bringing even more relevant topics, current challenges and inspiring speakers, all aimed at advancing football development across Southeast Europe together.

DARKO RAMOVŠ, Secretary General of Serbia Super League and First League Club Union

Behind the scenes of Serbian professional football stands a man who understands what clubs truly need. Darko Ramovš has travelled the full journey — from the pitch to the boardroom, from player to advocate for more than 30 professional clubs. As General Secretary of Serbia Super League and First League Club Union, he is one of the most important architects of the systemic changes shaping the future of club football across the region.

DARKO RAMOVŠ, Secretary General of Serbia Super League and First League Club Union

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DEJAN GERMIČ, Vice President of the Football Association of Slovenia

Institutions do not change by themselves — they are changed by people who understand the system from within and the vision from above. As elected Vice-President of the Football Association of Slovenia, Dejan Germič sits at the intersection of policy, development and practice in Slovenian football. He comes to Belgrade with a clear mandate and clear answers to questions that regional football can no longer afford to delay.

DEJAN GERMIČ, Vice President of the Football Association of Slovenia

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MARIJAN TUKERIĆ, Scouting Data Analyst, First Team, 1. FC Nürnberg

When scouting meets data, a new currency of modern football is born. Marijan Tukerić is one of those professionals who understood this earlier than most. With over a decade of experience spanning FC Barcelona, the Swiss football scene and now the 2. Bundesliga, he works today as Scouting Data Analyst for the first team of 1. FC Nürnberg — combining the human eye with the algorithm into a single, powerful tool. In Belgrade, he will reveal what scouting truly looks like behind the closed doors of elite clubs.

MARIJAN TUKERIĆ, Scouting Data Analyst, First Team, 1. FC Nürnberg

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MARIO MILANIČ, Video Analyst, LASK Linz — current Austrian champions

Some inherit a name. Others earn their own place. Mario Milanič, son of legendary coaching figure Darko Milanič, is forging his own path in an entirely different role — as a video analyst at LASK Linz, the reigning Austrian double winners of the 2025/26 season and a regular presence in European competition. His generation does not wait for advice from their elders — they actively shape coaching decisions at the highest level through footage, data and pattern recognition.

MARIO MILANIČ, Video Analyst, LASK Linz

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DAMIR SKOMINA, Former UEFA International Referee — referee of the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid

UEFA Champions League Final, 2019. Madrid. Tottenham vs. Liverpool. In the center of the pitch stands a Slovenian with a whistle, and the whole world is watching. Damir Skomina became the first Slovenian to referee the final of the world’s most prestigious club competition, completing a unique treble: the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final, the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final. In 2019, the IFFHS named him the World’s Best Referee. Today, he is no longer on the pitch, but he will be in Belgrade to share what top-level football looks like from a perspective that most people never get to experience.

DAMIR SKOMINA, Former UEFA International Referee

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DARKO MILANIČ, Head Coach, NK Maribor — the most successful coach in the history of Slovenian club football

Six Slovenian league titles. The Austrian Bundesliga. Leeds United. Slovan Bratislava. Cyprus. The United Arab Emirates. Darko Milanič is not a coach who stays in one place. He is a coach who has built and refined his football philosophy at every stop along the way. As captain of the Slovenian national team at UEFA Euro 2000, he understood the game from the inside; as a coach, he mastered it at a level that brought him a record unmatched in Slovenian club football. In Belgrade, he will speak about what it truly means to lead a team, when pressure is not an excuse, but fuel.

DARKO MILANIČ, Head Coach, NK Maribor

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DALIBOR ZORKO, Director of the FSS Academy — Centre for Football Coach Education, Football Association of Serbia

A coach is only as good as the knowledge they possess, and someone must ensure that this knowledge exists, spreads, and continuously raises standards. In March 2026, Dalibor Zorko became Director of the Football Association of Serbia Academy, the Centre for Coach Education, which operates in accordance with UEFA standards. A long-time expert in the pedagogical development of coaches within the Serbian football system, he comes to Belgrade with a clear message: education is not an expense, it is the foundation upon which everything else is built.

DALIBOR ZORKO, Director of the FSS Academy

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ROMEO JOZAK, Sporting Director of Sharjah FC — architect of football systems

From Dinamo’s academy to Croatia FA, from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates. Romeo Jozak has been shaping football at the highest professional level for more than two decades. As the long-time Head of the GNK Dinamo Zagreb Academy and Technical Director of the Croatian Football Federation, he helped build a development system that produced numerous global stars and the generation of the Croatian national team that won the silver medal at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
In Saudi Arabia, he led the ambitious Future Falcons project, designed to develop future national team players and help them break into European football. Today, as Sporting Director of Sharjah FC, he is building the future of one of the most ambitious clubs in the United Arab Emirates.
He comes to Belgrade with a unique perspective on player development, sports strategy, and the modern management of football organizations.

ROMEO JOZAK, Sporting Director of Sharjah FC

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ZORAN ZELJKOVIĆ, Head Coach of FC Koper — best coach of the season 2025/2026 in 1. SNL

From Ilirija to Koper, Olimpija, and international experiences in Latvia and Russia. Zoran Zeljković is regarded as one of the most intriguing coaching names of the new generation of Slovenian football. After successful work at Koper, he also managed Olimpija Ljubljana, before continuing his career abroad and eventually returning to the FC Koper bench. As a former Slovenian international and a coach with a clear football identity, he advocates a modern, intense, and attacking style of play. He comes to Belgrade to present his coaching journey, share experiences from different football environments, and offer his perspective on the development of the modern football coach.

ZORAN ZELJKOVIĆ, Head Coach of FC Koper

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FRANCESCO DELL'AQUILA, UEFA, UEFA, Women's Professional Football Manager

At the intersection of strategy, finance, and the development of professional football. Francesco Dell’Aquila leads UEFA projects aimed at advancing the professionalization of women’s football across Europe, working closely with national associations, leagues, and clubs to shape strategies for the sustainable growth of this rapidly expanding sector. Before joining UEFA, he worked as a consultant at Football Benchmark, collaborating with leading European clubs, leagues, federations, and investors on business development, finance, and football strategy. In Belgrade, he will share a unique perspective on the future of European professional football and the challenges of its sustainable development.

FRANCESCO DELL’AQUILA, UEFA, UEFA, Women’s Professional Football Manager

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MARKO NIKOLIĆ, Head Coach of AEK Athens — serial trophy winner

Wherever he goes, trophies follow. Marko Nikolić is one of the most successful Serbian coaches of his generation, having won league titles and domestic cups in Serbia, Hungary, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates. He has managed clubs such as Partizan, Videoton, Lokomotiv Moscow, CSKA Moscow, and Shabab Al Ahli, and today he is at the helm of Greek giants AEK Athens. Known for his tactical discipline, winning mentality, and ability to build competitive teams in a short period of time, he comes to Belgrade to share his perspective on modern coaching, team leadership, and the creation of a winning culture.

MARKO NIKOLIĆ, Head Coach of AEK Athens

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List of speakers TBD

Our list of speakers and guests is updated on a regular basis. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the organiser reserves the right to substitute speakers or guests and to make changes to the programme.

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