BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Shenhua sports director Wu Jingui said on Sunday he was badly shaken by the news of Ilia Petkovic's death.
Petkovic, who died at 74 allegedly from COVID-19, coached Shenhua for one season in 2001 when Wu served as his assistant.
"I was shocked and heartbroken at the news of his death. He was a very good person as well as a very good football coach," Wu said.
"Last time we met in Belgrade in 2001 when I went there with my team for a training camp. He told me that he missed the days when he worked in Shanghai," he added. "He was a genial character getting on well with his players. We cultivated a profound friendship."
Petkovic was hospitalized for fever and a duodenum ulcer and was later found to have contracted COVID-19 in the hospital, a report from Chinese news outlet Netease said on Sunday.
He coached Serbia and Montenegro at the 2006 World Cup finals, where his side failed to qualify for the knockout stage. Enditem
