The president of the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM), Mr. Masar Omeragikj, spoke at a briefing with journalists on current topics related to Macedonian club and national football, as well as activities aimed at ongoing infrastructure projects at the stadiums in Shtip, Kichevo and Ohrid.
photos by FFM
Unfortunately, MacedonianFootball was not present at today’s briefing. Those few of us who are based in Skopje could not escape work responsibilities as we all work other jobs and we keep this web site strictly voluntary in our free time.
About the Kozhuf – Bashkimi match
“The Football Federation of Macedonia acts exclusively in accordance with the rules and procedures. We do not allow ourselves to take action based on assumptions. We will not punish anyone based on speculation. We are guided only by facts and statements. A match can be fixed in two ways: either when a team pays to win, or when it intentionally loses, for interest or lucrative reasons. However, so far in the proceedings, none of the witnesses, including the Kozhuf players, have mentioned Bashkimi. We will not protect anyone, but we will not accuse without solid evidence either.”
On shortening the league and possible new systems
“The reason for shortening the league is not related to the cancellations of Gostivar and Voska Sport, but to the desire to achieve a higher quality and more equal competition. A four-round system is also being considered, but we are still working on that proposal. In the Second League, we are considering a new model: the first-place team would go directly to the First League, and two more teams would play a play-off. An interesting model would be where the teams from second to eighth place would play a play-off for those two play-off positions.”
For the host cities of the national team
“I want national football, especially senior football, to be played outside of Skopje. Bitola already has the capacity for that, but I would like at least two more cities to have the opportunity to host our national team. We will do everything in our power to have the Macedonian national team under 21 play in Bitola in the qualifiers, but it must be clear that a number of other things need to be met for that to happen. This primarily concerns hotel accommodation. Italy, our opponent in the qualifiers, requires almost the same conditions as for the A national team. But, arrangements also need to be made to the “old” stands at the stadium. We have already spoken with the mayor of Bitola and the directions are positive.
For the 1.MFL next season
“The matches of the Macedonian top flight will be played in three or four days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday, maybe Monday. Each match will be covered by live TV broadcast. We currently have three stadiums with floodlights, and the fourth will be the stadium in Tetovo. The new cooperation with PUMA as a new technical sponsor for footballs has also been promoted. Additionally, the VAR system will be applied, which gives real hope that the next season will be at a significantly higher level.”
On Besa 1976’s relegation from the 1.MFL
“Great respect for Besa, a club that, despite coming from a smaller place, has shown greatness. Even when they lose, they have shown dignity and sportsmanship, which is commendable. Unlike some other teams that show greatness, but are far from it.”
About infrastructure projects
“The problem with the new grandstand in Shtip is that it is not finished. The deadlines have been missed and we have refused to sign the handover.”
All obligations of the federation in the amount of nearly 2.3 million euros have been paid. The deadline for handover is July 31, 2025. However, what can be seen is that there are “a small million” shortcomings, and a lot of money has been spent. Realistically, there can be no handover or technical acceptance like this, there are no dilemmas here.
In the event that the deadline is not met, that is, is breached, and according to everything we see, this will happen, the leadership of the Football Federation of Macedonia will take appropriate institutional measures for non-fulfillment of the contract.
“The situation is similar with the stands in Ohrid and Kichevo. We already have new supervision there and in the coming period we will work on alternative options for the eventual completion of those infrastructure projects.”
For the upcoming matches of the national team
“I call on you all to give strong support to our national team players in the coming period. We are facing difficult and extremely important matches, every support means a lot. Now is the time to unite and stand behind the national team. I believe that we can be at a high level and hope for positive results.”
For youth national teams and the scouting system
“Realistically, we are facing challenges when it comes to youth national teams. The results we see today are a consequence of the lack of continuous care and systematic work in recent years. It will take time, patience and dedication to bring the youth national teams back to the level we all desire.”
In that direction, significant steps have already been taken – we have new selectors and we are establishing a new way of working, which I believe will start to yield results in the near future. An additional challenge for us is the cancellations of players of Macedonian origin, who were born or raised abroad. Often, when we send an invitation to play in our national teams, it is used as pressure to get a call-up from the national team of the country in which they live.
Also, we often face unrealistic expectations from parents – to move directly to the senior selection, without previous performances in their age category.
As for the scouting system, it is coordinated by Gjorgji Hristov and Goran Pandev. We are investing in quality selection and identification of talents and I am convinced that this work will yield positive results for the youth teams in the coming period.