Rado Vidosic was 'one of the most incredible men'

Brighton interim manager Chris Roberts has described Rado Vidosic as "one of the most incredible men I've ever met" following the death of the club's head of women's and girls' coaching.

Vidosic, who was 64, had been working since January 2025 at Brighton, where his son Dario is the women's first-team manager.

The death was announced on Tuesday, and Dario Vidosic wrote in a post on social media that his father had been battling cancer.

"It's obviously been a really challenging and sad week for everyone in the football club and all around the world," said Roberts.

"Rado was one of the most incredible men I've ever met. He's infectious, he made people smile and he had the most amazing football brain. He was great company."

Before joining Brighton, Rado Vidosic spent six years with Melbourne City in Australia, working with both the men's and women's sides.

He worked as Melbourne City's academy technical director before taking on the role of women's head coach. He then managed the men's team and led them to the 2022-23 A-League regular-season title.

He also had coaching spells with Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.

Roberts has been in interim charge of Brighton in the Women's Super League since Dario Vidosic returned to Australia to be with family earlier this month.

Reflecting on the loss of a significant figure at the club, Roberts said: "His legacy here and across the football world will be something that is around for a really long time.

"It's been incredibly sad and it's been felt deeply across the group.

"I just want to pay tribute to one of the best people I've been lucky enough to meet. He was a mentor, a friend, one of the funniest people and he will be sorely missed."

Roberts said there is no timeframe on when Dario will return to the club and Brighton's priority is to support him and his family.

Brighton host London City Lionesses in the WSL on Sunday (11:55 GMT) and fans are expected to pay tribute to Rado.

"We've tried to deal with it collectively and put things into perspective. It's been a challenging time, but the squad have also had to prepare for a big game," said Roberts.

"We just need to be there for each other as a group and show that immense support on and off the pitch. We've paid tributes in our own way privately.

"Rado brought players and staff closer together. He worked really hard on the methodology that he and Dario had. He was a mentor for all the staff.

"He had a unique ability to get close to the players and bring the best out of them and their individual development. He made everyone better."

Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie are back for another season of the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed