Vardar echoes Shkupi — Milenko Nedelkovski seen as new 'Olgun'

A single photograph taken on 7 September 2026, shortly before Vardar’s 2:0 win over Arsimi, has reignited comparisons with Shkupi’s turbulent years — and with it the sense that a familiar pattern is repeating at one of Skopje’s biggest clubs.

From Shkupi to Vardar: the same faces, a different order

Goce Sedloski formerly led Shkupi to the domestic title while Matija Mirkov served as his assistant. Mirkov later became a close collaborator of the Turkish sponsor Aydin Olgun, taking on roles as director and briefly as caretaker coach — a sequence after which Shkupi suffered a rapid collapse. The photograph shows supporters at Vardar evoking those memories.

Now many of the same dynamics are visible inside Vardar. Sedloski returned and again reached the championship level before accepting the national team coach position; alongside him, Mirkov remained in the club structure. The difference this time is that Milenko Nedelkovski has assumed the position observers compare to the influential role Olgun had at Shkupi.

Inside the club, Mirkov — once assistant to Kristian Fabijani — had been waiting for his chance to take the lead. He is now cast in a similar supporting role to Nedelkovski, who is being described by some as the new power broker.

The image, taken on 7 September 2026 before the Vardar–Arsimi match that ended 2:0, captured fans raising their voices and warning against a repeat of Shkupi’s fate. A message reportedly from Sedloski to Nedelkovski was summed up as: "Miki, take care of Maki for me..."

The photograph and the conversation around it have stirred debate among supporters about whether Vardar can avoid the management and fiscal turmoil that toppled Shkupi, or whether the club is simply repeating a now-familiar cycle.

Photo: на-денот-во-вардар-мириса-на-ш/