The Football Federation of Macedonia held a briefing with media representatives today, attended by FFM President Masar Omeragić, senior national team head coach Goce Sedloski, technical director of the national youth teams Gjorgji Hristov, and referee appointments commissioner Josip Barton.
FFM President Masar Omeragić spoke about several current issues related to club and national-team football, infrastructure projects and preserving the integrity of competitions.
Addressing a question about the stadium in Tetovo and the federation’s support for the construction of the new stadium, Omeragić recalled that FFM had provided significant financial support to improve the facilities.
„Shkendija from Tetovo have not registered a new stadium for the new season, despite the fact that their stadium is being renovated. We announced support of €700,000 for the construction of the stands in Tetovo. However, on several occasions, at joint meetings, I received a response from a member of Shkendija’s management that they did not need help, and I do not plan to beg anyone,“ Omeragić said.
Regarding UEFA’s decision to impose a suspended sanction on FK Vardar, the FFM president stressed that the federation had no role whatsoever in the decision-making process.
„UEFA did not contact us, and the investigation lasted five or six months. This is not something FFM can influence. The federation is clean and has nothing to do with the rating. UEFA made this decision; it could have been worse and Vardar might not have been allowed to play in Europe. The fine is high, but it is good that there is no elimination,“ Omeragić stressed.
Speaking about the season that has ended, the FFM president assessed that the championship had been successfully organised despite numerous challenges.
„We had a good season, there were no scandalous refereeing decisions, and the VAR system brought an exceptionally high level of accuracy in decision-making. We had a difficult championship; clubs with tradition were relegated, but they should look for the fault within their own ranks, as should the team that failed to win at home against Arsimi, Bashkimi, Brera, Pelister, etc. Now we are starting with a new, four-round competition system. All the reforms for this season were implemented in record time,“ Omeragić said.
Regarding the licensing of the new top-flight clubs, he confirmed that the procedures must be followed without exception.
„We sent letters to Skopje and Shkendija Aracinovo stating that they must complete the licensing process as soon as possible in order to be able to play in the elite division. This is not up to us; these are regulations that must be followed,“ Omeragić said.
On the subject of competition integrity and suspicious matches, the FFM president explained that the federation acts exclusively on the basis of information received from UEFA and in coordination with the competent institutions.
„There will always be suspicious matches. We receive letters from UEFA and never act on our own initiative. After every suspicious match, we receive detailed information and are obliged to inform the competent institutions. In order to take measures against any club, we must receive a final court verdict. Until there is such a verdict, we will not exclude any club,“ Omeragić stressed.
Senior national team head coach Goce Sedloski spoke about the national team and the opportunities being given to domestic footballers.
„I called up several footballers from the Macedonian championship as well, and they all got their chance. We expect and hope that new names from the youth national teams will emerge in the future and become part of the senior team. The atmosphere in the national team is good despite the defeat to Turkey. The most important thing is to leave the bad times behind us, and I believe better days are ahead,“ Sedloski stressed.
Technical director of the national youth teams Gjorgji Hristov spoke about the situation in youth football and the activities being undertaken to create better conditions for the development of young players.
„I was not surprised by the situation I found, because I knew very well what awaited us. Since we arrived, we have taken several concrete steps, including the formation of the under-20 national team, and the first positive effects can already be seen,“ Hristov said.
He emphasised that changes take time and that the current generation of youth internationals is the result of a process that has been ongoing for years.
„The reality is what it is, and we should not deceive ourselves. Today’s under-21 national team generation reflects the work carried out over the past decade. That is precisely why we decided to reorganise the youngest age groups. The under-15 national team has not been abolished; it has been structured differently so that young footballers can have more matches and better conditions for development,“ Hristov said.
The briefing also addressed topics related to the refereeing organisation, the functioning of the VAR system, and FFM’s future activities aimed at advancing Macedonian football at all levels.
