Sutjeska and Nikola Rakojević - a winning combination.
Translated into the language of figures, it is almost two million euros, which is how much the Nikšić club earned from UEFA awards for placement on the European stage under the baton of the current coach.
Rakojević returned for the fourth time at the helm of Sutjeska on March 1, 2017 and began his most fruitful period on the bench of the team where he spent almost his entire playing career. Namely, he won one trophy in all three seasons.
In the first year after his return, after only three months, Rakojević took the Cup of Montenegro with Sutjeska, triumphing in the final over Grblje (1:0), while in the championship he almost made up even 20 points behind Budućnost, which that year became champion, finishing the championship with the same number of points as Nikšić and Zeta.
All the same - Sutjeska qualified for the Europa League by winning the Cup. She was eliminated from Levski from Sofia and earned 220 thousand euros.
Already in the next season, 2018/19. With Rakojević, the team from Nikšić won the most dominant title in Montenegro - they had as many as 22 points more than Budućnost and fought for the UEFA jackpot, in the truest sense of the word. Namely, it was the first season in which the Montenegrin champion received 770 thousand euros just for appearing in Europe.
The people of Nikšić earned 510 euros just for the qualification for the Champions League (230 for participation in the qualification for the LŠ, another 280 for the performance in the 1st round), while they have to move to the qualification for the Europa League (2nd round) additional 260 thousand accrued.
Sutjeska earned these 770 last summer, although on the European stage, in four matches, they did not achieve a victory, did not score a goal.
First, in the Champions League qualifiers, they were eliminated by Kazakhstan's Astana (defeats 1:0 and 2:0), and in the Europa League qualifiers, they were weaker than Alaskert of Armenia (1:0 defeat in Nikšić, 0:0 away). If they had eliminated the Armenians from Nikšić, they would have earned an additional 280 euros for their appearance in the 3rd round of qualification for the Europa League, and the total prize fund would have been rounded up to 50.
Regardless, Sutjeska was satisfied with 770, and the same amount is guaranteed next summer, after a new title, the second in a row under Rakojević, won before the end of the current season.
Once again, the Montenegrin champion will receive 230 for participating in the qualification for the LŠ, and will again collect an additional 280 for the appearance in the 1st round, and if he does not perform a miracle and does not surprise one of the favorites (potential rivals are the same again, Astana, Sherif, BATE , Karabagh, Zvezda, Celtic...) will receive an additional 280 again for moving to the Europa League.
In total, it would be - 770 thousand, and counting the previous two seasons under Rakojević - exactly one million and 760 thousand!
Even if Sutjeska were to eliminate a team on the European scene for the first time this coming summer, and place, for example, in the 3rd round of qualification for the Europa League (this is a more realistic option than placing in the 2nd round of qualification for the Champions League), the entire prize fund in in the last three years it would have reached two million euros!
Nikola Rakojević's one-year contract with the Nikšić club expires at the end of next week, on June 1, but considering the amount of money that Sutjeska earned with him from UEFA awards, and even without a single European victory, there is no doubt that the club's leaders will do everything to keep him.
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