Relegated Premium Liiga side JK Tallinna Kalev have announced that Serbian coach Ivan Stojkovič will take charge of the team ahead of the new season, with the aim of guiding the Tallinn club back to the Premium Liiga.
After four consecutive seasons in Estonia’s top division, Kalev were relegated after finishing the campaign in last place. During the 2025 season, Alo Bärengrub took over as head coach at the end of April, replacing Finnish specialist Teemu Tainio, who left his position following a difficult start to the year.
Bärengrub’s spell began on a positive note, highlighted by a victory over Paide Linnameeskond, but the desired turnaround did not fully materialise. Kalev ultimately concluded the 2025 season in a stable last position, confirming their drop to Esiliiga.
Today Bärengrub moved on to take up the head coach role at fellow second-division club JK Welco, while Kalev turned their attention to appointing a new manager. The club opted for a familiar figure within the organisation, signing Ivan Stojkovič, who had already been working at Tallinna Kalev since October in multiple roles, including U17 head coach and within the club’s youth development structure.
Stojkovič is a well-known figure in Estonian football, having spent three and a half years in the country between 2022 and May 2025. During that period, he led FCI Levadia’s reserve team and also briefly served as head coach of the club’s first team. In 2023, he was appointed head coach of Paide Linnameeskond, a role in which he guided the club to a third-place finish in the 2024 Premium Liiga and to the Estonian Cup final, where Paide were defeated by Levadia.
After concluding his time at Paide, Stojkovič briefly returned to Serbia where he coached second division side OFK Vrsac.
