Popovic tipped to be on lookout for new club

TONY Popovic was last night poised to be told by club bosses that his short reign as Karabukspor coach was over, according to reports in Turkey.

Popovic sensationally left Western Sydney on the eve of the A-League season, signing with the little-known Turkish club.

His tenure in the Super Lig appears to have lasted just 10 weeks, with the Australian shown the door after exiting the Turkish Cup.

But he should be handsomely remunerated for his departure, with a possible payoff worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Karabukspor was dumped out of the knockout competition on Thursday by secondtier Istanbulspor.

The reports suggest the 2-2 away goals aggregate loss was the straw that broke the camel’s back at the crisis-hit club.

Popovic had overseen just one league win and also contended with off-field dramas that led to the entire board resigning last month.

The club sits last in the league, eight points from safety from relegation, with two wins from 15 matches.

Popovic — who rose to prominence by winning the Asian Champions League with the Wanderers in 2014 — was its eighth coach in three years.

In an unfortunately-timed interview with Istanbul-based outlet TRT World that aired on Thursday, Popovic said he turned down other chances to move to Karabukspor in favour of “the challenge and getting out of my comfort zone”.

“I had some opportunities to go into Asia with some success in the Champions League,” he said.

“That’s something that’s always there and something that I’d still like to do.

“As a coach, I wanted to taste Europe and give Europe a go.

“It’s not easy as an Australian to get a good European club to start with in terms of stability. It’s hard to be picky.’’