Al Merrikh SC have parted ways with Serbian coach Darko Novic bringing an end to his spell in charge of the Sudanese club after a year and four months at the helm.

Novic joined Al Merrikh SC on July 30, 2025 and guided the club through the 2025/26 BK Pro League campaign in which they finished third with 59 points behind Al Hilal SC and APR FC.

His tenure saw Al Merrikh SC establish themselves among the competitive sides in Rwanda's top flight. However, the 2026/27 campaign has presented a different challenge with the Sudanese outfit currently occupying seventh position with nine points after seven matches.

On the continental stage, Al Merrikh's CAF Champions League campaign came to an end in the second preliminary round against Guinea's Horoya AC.

After losing the first leg 1-0 in Guinea, Al Merrikh SC secured a 1-0 victory in the return fixture at Amahoro Stadium in Kigali with Mohamed Qabani scoring the decisive goal in the 70th minute to level the aggregate score.

The tie was eventually decided by a penalty shootout, with Horoya AC winning 5-3 to progress to the next round.

Al Merrikh SC have also parted ways with Darko Novic’s assistants and other members of the club’s technical and administrative staff, including First Team Sporting Director Ayman Adar, First Team Administrative Manager Ali Jaafar and Reserve Team Sporting Director Anas Nasr El Din.

Darko joined Al Merrikh on July 30, 2025 following a successful period with APR FC where he guided the Rwandan giants to the 2024/25 Premier League title. His achievements with APR FC earned him the Coach of the Year award for the 2024/25 season.

Before joining Al Merrikh SC, Novic had also coached several clubs including Rwanda's APR FC and Tunisia's US Monastir, Algeria's ES Setif and Al-Bukiryah FC of Saudi Arabia, bringing experience from different football environments to his role in Sudanese football.

His departure marks a new chapter for Al Merrikh SC as the club looks to build on its previous achievements and improve its position in the ongoing BK Pro League season.

The Rwanda Premier League thanks Darko Novic for his contribution to the competition and wishes him success in his future coaching career.