Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic of Serbia revealed that he is battling leukemia after being diagnosed with the disease a day before pre-season training with the ­Serie A club was set to begin.

Club President Joey Saputo confirmed that "Mihajlovic is and will remain Bologna's coach" while he battles the blood disease, with his treatment set to begin on Tuesday.

"When I got the news, it was a real blow. I sat there for days crying, your life passes before your eyes," Mihajlovic told reporters at a press conference which ended in a standing ovation for the Serb. "I cannot wait to go to hospital and start the fight. It is aggressive, but it is beatable … Unfortunately, nothing was given to me in life. I had to fight for everything."

Club doctor Gianni Nanni said that Mihajlovic had "acute leukemia" but insisted that the 50-year-old had a good chance of recovery and could continue working as Bologna coach.

"Twenty years ago we might not even have talked about challenging this illness, but today with the knowledge that we have we can even talk about a rosy future for a coach that can carry on with his career," said doctor Nanni.

The shock news comes ahead of a first full season at Bologna for the 50-year-old, who arrived as coach following the sacking of Filippo Inzaghi.

He guided them to 10th in Serie A after a blistering run of form that saw them win eight of their last 12 games and finish well clear of the relegation zone.

Mihajlovic has been in Italy since he moved to Roma in 1992 from Red Star Belgrade, where he had won the European Cup, but is best known for his time at Lazio.

He won the Serie A title, two Coppa Italias and the Cup Winners Cup in his six-year spell with Roma's fierce cross-town rivals, and remains a hero figure among Lazio supporters.

Mihajlovic is also considered one of the best set-piece takers of all time. 

He jointly holds with Andrea Pirlo the record for free-kick goals scored in Serie A, striking 28 times from dead ball situations.