Zenit Suspends Head Coach

On January 20, the board of directors of basketball club Zenit announced the suspension of Alexander Sekulic from the position of head coach.

The duties of the coach have temporarily passed to Maxim Uchaykin, who will prepare the team for the 22nd round match of the United VTB League against MBA-MAI.

Sekulic took over the St. Petersburg club in June 2025, replacing Javier Pascual. Previously, the Slovenian specialist coached Lokomotiv-Kuban and continues to work with the Slovenian national team, which he led to the Olympic Games for the first time and to the semifinals of the tournament in Tokyo.

The reasons for the suspension were not specified in the club«s statement. After 21 matches of the regular championship, Zenit is in fifth place in the table with a record of 13 wins and 8 losses (61.9% wins). The St. Petersburg team trails Parma (63.6%), Lokomotiv-Kuban (65.2%), CSKA and UNICS (both 90.5%).

Zenit«s budget consistently ranks among the largest in the league. In the 2023/24 season, the club was first in expenses — 2 billion 257 million rubles (approximately $22.6 million at current rates), and in the 2024/25 season — second with a budget of 1 billion 914.4 million rubles (approximately $19.1 million at current rates). However, the team has become champion of the United VTB League only once, in the 2021/22 season.

Over the eight years of Zenit«s academy»s existence, not a single graduate has managed to secure a place in the main team, indicating systemic problems with youth development.