Football Federation did not acknowledge Srečko Katanec after Ljubljana match

The Football Federation of North Macedonia did not acknowledge Srečko Katanec during the national team’s brief stay in Ljubljana before the 2:0 win over Slovenia on September 29, 2026, provoking criticism from local media and fans.

Katanec, the Slovenian coach who led North Macedonia to its best-ever FIFA ranking (48th in 2008) and served four years as the national team’s head coach, has been fighting a serious illness and lives with his family in Ljubljana — the city where the national squad and an FFM delegation were present in the two to three days ahead of the match.

Expectations of respect for former coaches

Many voiced that the delegation should at minimum have visited Katanec at his home in Ljubljana, offered a jersey or another token of respect, or publicly mentioned him at one of the two press conferences held in the country. Critics argued that this was especially appropriate given Katanec’s role in shaping the professionalism of an era that included players such as Goran Pandev and, as the article notes, the current coach Goce Sedloski also served as a captain under Katanec.

The piece questions whether the omission can be blamed on a press office “slip” and points out that Zlatko Andonovski was at that time active in another sport, while Ilcho Gjorgioski joined the Football Federation of North Macedonia later — implying the responsibility for the oversight lies higher than a single staffer.

Supporters and commentators emphasized that the national team is not a private toy and that its past contributors deserve public recognition. The article concludes by offering an apology from the publication for the omission by the federation and underlines that, if not from the FFM, Katanec still has the backing of the wider Macedonian public while he battles his illness.

As the author puts it, "We didn't score..." — a closing remark signed by Saso Kuzmanovski expressing disappointment that the delegation in Ljubljana failed to remember Katanec.

Photo: press material from the event