Dejan Milaković: Water polo in Singapore, Iran, brakes for the development of water polo in Asia
There is practically no continent on which the Serbian coaching school has not left, and still leaves its mark.
Dejan Milaković, former coach of Crvena zvezda, one of the founders and long-time coach of Singidunum, has an enviable experience in Asia, where he has been working for eight years.
Milaković's coaching journey took him outside of Serbia for the first time in 2014. He was an assistant to Igor Milanović in Pro Rek and on the bench of the famous Italian team won the Champions League in 2015. He then continued his career in Malta, as the coach of Slijema, and then began his mission in the most populous continent.
He worked in Singapore from 2017 until last year, when he was appointed technical director at the Iran Water Polo Federation. Milaković spoke for the UVTS website about water polo in Singapore, Iran, problems for the development of this sport on the Asian continent.
Experiences from Singapore
Recalling his first Asian experiences, Milaković says:
“I went to Singapore suddenly. The National Federation invited me to come for a few days to hold a seminar. Then I had an agreement with the Maltese club Sirens to take over the first team. During the seminar, the Singapore Water Polo Association offered me to take over their national team. It was a very good offer, which I could hardly get. I parted ways with the Maltese, we reached an agreement and I turned to a new challenge. Leading the national team, regardless of which country it is, is a special challenge for every coach.
He took over the national team at the beginning of 2017. Milaković now says that he thinks he made a good decision by going to Singapore, one of the most developed countries (actually cities) in the world, he got to know another mentality, Southeast Asia, which is unknown to many Europeans.
I improved myself both professionally and privately. However, at first I questioned my decision. After a few months, I started to wonder if going to Singapore was a mistake. Because the mentality and understanding of sports are completely different there than in Serbia.
The brakes on water polo development in Singapore
Explaining the differences in mentality and understanding of sports, Milaković explains that all players are amateurs:
"The way of life and the system of the state do not allow Singaporeans to devote themselves to sports like water polo players in Serbia and many European countries. Schools and colleges do not meet them when they have activities in sports. Then, in Singapore, as in many countries in Asia, military service is mandatory. It lasts for two years, in the best period for the development of an athlete, from the age of 18 to 21. After completing their studies, water polo players get a job and that is their priority. They often have to miss and be late for training due to school and professional commitments. For the first four months, I could not get used to the fact that I almost never have a complete team at training. However, over time I adapted and accepted such a situation.
Leading Singapore, Milaković won two golds at the Southeast Asian Games, then the title at the former "Development Cup", which FINA organized for national teams that are far from the world's top. He is satisfied with what has been achieved.
"I led the national team until the coronavirus pandemic, when there was a long break without competition, longer than on other continents, because in Asia the measures were stricter and longer in force. That long break is one of the reasons why I ended my cooperation with the Federation, but stayed in Singapore and ran a vateprolo academy, until 2023, when the invitation came from Iran.
Milaković from Singapore has positive impressions, but he says about the potential for the development of water polo in this city-state:
Water polo in Singapore has a tradition, but it is difficult to raise everything to a higher, professional level. The national team is practically the only senior team that trains more seriously. Only a few years ago, a senior league was started with eight clubs, but the teams are mostly a combination of players from the national team, juniors, and veterans.
Everything is practically based on water polo schools, competitions for players up to 16 years old. The system and mentality I mentioned are an obstacle to further development. Water polo players do not see themselves as professional athletes. Playing water polo is their love, they are proud to play for the national team, but at the age of 24-25 they usually leave the sport and dedicate themselves to the profession. There are also not enough pools that water polo academies and clubs can use. The working conditions of water polo players are getting worse, the profession is at a low level.
Singapore will host the World Aquatics Championship in 2025, but, in Milaković's opinion, this will not be an incentive for the development of water polo.
Swimming is extremely popular and dominant in Singapore, and in water polo the goals are mainly reduced to winning medals at the Southeast Asian Games. I don't see any ambitions for them to make a breakthrough at least in Asia and get close to the best national teams on the continent, so I don't believe that their participation in the World Cup will be an incentive for development.
Working on multiple fronts in Iran
The goals and ambitions of the Water Polo Association in Milaković's new destination, Iran, are far higher than in Singapore.
Milaković started the mission last year. As a technical director, he participated in the work of the professional staff of the senior team at the Asian Games held last year in Hangzhou (China), where Iran won fourth place, after a five-point loss in the bronze medal match against Kazakhstan, led by Nebojša Obradović.
After that, he concluded a contract on long-term cooperation, until the end of 2026.
"As the technical director, I am responsible for the work of all representative categories, I will bring programs, which I will implement with the selectors, and also organize camps."
Dejan Milaković at the Asian Games Photo: private archive
Milaković's first impressions of water polo in Iran are favorable. There is potential for development.
“As far as I have had an insight so far, there are 3,000-4,000 registered water polo players in Iran, which is not a lot for a country of 89 and a half million inhabitants, but it is not an unsatisfactory number either. There is a sufficient number of players in the younger categories, from which selection can be made for junior national teams. The vast majority of clubs and players are from Tehran, but there are opportunities to develop water polo in other regions through camps and continuous work.
The influence of Aleksandar Ćirić
Before Milaković's arrival, our famous representative Aleksandar Ćirić worked in Iran for a long time.
Aleksandar Ćirić was the coach of the Iranian national team for seven years. The extremely strong mark he left there also opened the door for other Serbian coaches in Iran, in this case to me, emphasizes Milaković and adds: At the beginning of 2022, he took over the Olympiakos women's team, with which he won the Champions League. For a time, he led both the Iranians and Olympiakos. He was a selector until the beginning of 2023, when he returned to Europe, now he is in Malta. Aleksandar Ćirić was succeeded by a younger coach, Mehdi, who has the potential and ambitions to become a good coach. I joined him in July,.
The duties of the Serbian expert will contribute to the achievement of goals on several fronts.
What does the senior national team of Iran strive for?
The ambitions of the senior team are higher than before. The primary goal until 2026 is the best possible result at the Asian Games, which await us in two years. We are aiming for the finals at the 2026 Asian Games. I think that the players who are currently in the national team have the potential to achieve their desired goal, which is to reach the finals. We will try to qualify for the World Cup in 2025. It will not be easy, Singapore is already qualified, Japan is the favorite to reach the championship as the best Asian team. There is practically only one place left, for which we will fight.
It is still not known how and when the Asian qualifications for the WC in Singapore will be organized (after all, there is no official information for the European qualifications either). It is not known when the senior selection will have its first competition, and Milaković is currently focused on the junior national team, which is expecting an important competition this year.
“The first next challenge is the World Cup for under-18 players in Argentina. This year, that generation of Iranian players achieved an excellent result at the Asian Championship, winning silver behind Japan. At the World Championship, in the first stage of the Second Division, they will be in a group with Canada and China. Our goal is first place in the group and placement among the top 12, which would be a great success.
Iran has the conditions for long-term progress
Besides results, there are also long-term goals.
“When a foreign coach comes to a country, the primary goal is the result. However, I would be most satisfied if I could succeed in establishing a system, similar in Serbia, for players to develop in the right way, to adopt some habits, to train in the right way, and all with the aim of the best possible selection player for the senior team.
With senior national team members of Iran Photo: Private archive
Milaković believes that long-term progress in water polo is achievable in Iran, unlike in Singapore.
“One of the advantages of Iran is good conditions. The water polo association in Tehran has its own national pool with enough appointments, and within the center there is also accommodation for players who are not from the capital. It is easier for young players to balance sports and school obligations, similar to in Serbia, schools meet them and allow them to be absent if they have sports obligations. It is up to me to make the most of these conditions, organize good work and create a system that could produce results in the long term.
For example, the national team under 18 years of age started training for the World Cup, which will be organized in Argentina in July, already in April. The generation of players born in 2006 and later has potential, but they need continuity in their work.
Competition system the key problem of Asian water polo
Asian water polo still lags behind Europe. Japan, by far the best men's team on the continent, knows how to make the world's best national teams suffer, but they rarely make a surprise. Considering that he has been in Asia for a long time, Milaković gained an impression of the main problems.
I believe that in all countries the basic problem is the lack of competition, through which players could develop and have continuity. China, for example, invests huge resources in the national team, brings top European coaches, but does not have a quality system of club competitions, everything is mainly reduced to the amateur level, one tournament a year. The situation is not better in Japan either. The national championship, with the participation of several clubs, lasts only seven days in Japan.
Next, the profession is at a low level. Practically, they don't understand where water polo has gone in the last 30 years. Many countries have players with excellent physical predispositions, but they are not trained.
Comparing the situation in water polo and other sports, Milaković says:
Asia is a financial powerhouse. In many countries, large funds are also invested in club sports, football, basketball, volleyball, handball. Foreign coaches and athletes from Europe are coming. But this is not the case with water polo, although this sport is played all over the continent.
It seems to me that only Japan, China, Kazakhstan and Iran have some plans and a vision of where they would like their water polo to be in a few years. However, a big obstacle is the lack of competition. This year, the Champions Cup tournament will be organized, in which Iran will have two clubs, but it is difficult to progress significantly without regular domestic leagues, while on the other hand, due to the size of the continent and expensive travel, it is difficult to organize frequent international club competitions.
To progress by working with Europeans
And Iran faces the same problems as other Asian countries, so it is necessary to find another way to the goal...
Eight clubs participate in the senior championship in Iran, but they do not train regularly, nor do they have frequent competitions, the breaks between games are long. Nevertheless, from the beginning I knew what was waiting for me, among other things, through conversations with Aleksandar Ćirić. I will try to make up for all that by organizing more frequent preparations of national teams of all categories. Tournaments in Europe are also planned, like last year, when the Iranian national team participated in club tournaments in Kragujevac and Belgrade. We also hosted the "B" national team of Serbia.
Milaković with members of the coaching staffs of Iran and the "B" national team of Serbia last year
We will try to find clubs in Europe for the best seniors, so that they can enter the European system of work and competition. In previous years, several Iranians, during the time when Aleksandar Ćirić was a coach, played in Europe, among others in Serbia. Interest in some Iranian players in Europe exists even now. Such an approach should bring results. For example, Japan has rebounded in recent years partly because some of their best water polo players play in European leagues.
These are some of the ways that should contribute to the development of the senior team and the achievement of performance goals in the next three years. Nevertheless, the most important thing for me is the establishment of a system in the younger categories, based on the way of work in Serbia, with the aim that this system lasts and gives more significant results in the long term, concluded Milaković.
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