Petković was capped 43 times for Yugoslavia, participating in the 1968 European Football Championship, and in the 1974 FIFA World Cup where he scored a goal in a huge 9–0 win against Zaire.

Though the club was even then in the constant shadow of its big city rivals Red Star Belgrade and Partizan, it still managed to put in many memorable league campaigns as well as to win the 1965–66 Yugoslav Cup with a 6–2 final thrashing of Dinamo Zagreb.

[2] According to the strictly enforced sporting rules of communist Yugoslavia, no player was allowed to play for clubs outside the country before reaching the age of 28.

They constantly hovered around the relegation zone and couldn't avoid the drop in 1979–80 season meaning that Petković played the 1980–81 campaign in Yugoslav Second League.

[8] Petković managed to lead the team through 2006 World Cup qualifying in impressive fashion, with Serbia and Montenegro allowing only one goal in twelve matches.

However, the team's showing at the World Cup final tournament in Germany was disastrous, with three losses from three matches including a 0–6 defeat at the hands of Argentina.

Furthermore, Petković caused controversy ahead of the tournament when he named his son Dušan in the final squad as a replacement for the injured Mirko Vučinić, a move that triggered widespread outrage and condemnation.