Relatively unknown for the Macedonian football fans, but with his results, knowledge and methods for successful work with young players, Kiril Kotevski with only 28 years is one of the most successful youth coaches in Denmark.
Where were your first contacts with the football and what was the progress in your career of youth football player?
– I had my first contacts with the ball in the park next to my building in with my friends in Topansko Pole. I believe that like all the kids, I had my first contacts with the football on the streets in Skopje, which I’m very proud of. Towards the end of the 80’s I tried my luck in FK Vardar, as the biggest and most successful Macedonian football club in that time. I remember my first training with the coach Vanco Balevski – Zmija, who wasn’t much impressed of my skills at that time. We were more than 50 kids and soon I saw that I will not have the chance to improve the impression that I made to my coach because he wasn’t able to see so many kids in 2 days. The fact that I trained on the same football pitch with Darko Pancev, one of my biggest idols, gave me even bigger inspiration and love for the football.
Not so many people know that you are one of the first and rare Macedonians who played in Denmark. Unfotenately, your career as a football player is not so long and positive. Tell us something more about that.
– When I arrived in Danmark, together with my brother Goran, I started training in AB from København, which at that time was competing in the First Danish League. I was 14 and I was really impressed by the conditions which were offered to us for trainings. We had 9 football pitches for trainings, sports hall for futsal, fitness room, sand pitches, artificial gras… 500 kids train in the club and they all have great conditions for improvement and deployment. At age of 17, I moved to AB’s rivals, Lyngby BK which played in the Superliga. I immediately was included in the youth squad where on my first official match I injured my muscule on my right leg. This injury brought me the end of my career. 6 months after the injury I didn’t felt that I was ready for come-back and I ended my contract with Lyngby BK. At that time I played together with players who are now very famous, like the member of the Dannish national team Dennis Rommedahl who now plays for Ajax, Kim Christensen who is now at Barnsley FC and many other players who are now playing in the Danish league.
Few Macedonians have made good impression in the Danish football. Dejvi Glavevski had big success while playing in Vejle BK. At that time he had his debut with 3 goals scored for the Macedonian national team in the historic 1:11 win away to Liechenstein. Dzevdet Sainoski, the former member of FK Vardar and the national team, also played in Denmark for Farum (now FC Nordsjælland). He is now also coach in my club AB København. We have great cooperation with Sainoski and he is also very well appreciated in our club.
From the younger players I would mention Darko Milevski who played for BK Skjold and now is succesfully playing in Sweden.