It is well known that in Macedonian football there is no Super Cup competition, or exhibition match as many like to say, as there is in most European football countries. In the previous decade there was a less frivolous attempt to start such a tradition, but the skipping off of editions by playing every other year led to that attempt lasting only three times.

photo: AI generated

In November 2010, the FFM decided to organize a Super Cup starting from the following year, i.e. a match between the winner of the 1.MFL and the winner of the Macedonian Cup trophy. Without a specific date, only with a mention that it would be before the start of the season, somewhere in August, with an option in July. Thus, the first Macedonian Super Cup was played on 24 July 2011, when the champion Shkëndija defeated the Cup winner Metalurg with 2:1.

The following year, 2012, Vardar was supposed to play as the league winner and Renova as the Cup winner, but the casual approach of the FFM, pleasing both clubs regarding the date of the Super Cup, ultimately led to it not being played at all.

2013 came and Vardar finally got to play the Super Cup, and the opponent was the Cup winner Teteks. Vardar celebrated with a 1:0 win that hot night on 28 July.

In the 2013/2014 season, Rabotnichki won the double. Some countries do not play the Super Cup in such cases, while others organize this exhibition match with the opponent being the league runner-up or the cup finalist. In our country, it did not take place.

In the summer of 2015, the old city rivals Vardar and Rabotnichki got to play a Super Cup match. Due to the excellent European summer of the Cup winner from Debar Maalo, in which they almost reached the group stage of the Europa League, the Super Cup was played on 23 September. Vardar won after being more successful on penalties.

The following year 2016 the Super Cup was supposed to be played between Vardar (league) and Shkëndija (Cup), but they never played it because it was never scheduled. Since then, the Macedonian Super Cup has been forgotten.

The Forgotten Super Cup

While digging through the archives, we came across a very interesting piece of information. Exactly 30 years ago, the first Super Cup match in independent Macedonia was played in Strumica!

It was initiated by OFS Strumica, and organized by FSM (today FFM). Strumica residents were thinking about how to honor Strumica referee Stojcho Saganov, who had just retired. Thus, they came up with the idea of ​​organizing a match between the winner of the first league and the Macedonian Cup.

The president of OFS Strumica, Dimitar Bosiljanov, presented the idea to FSM, where it was approved. Sileks, as winner of the first league, and Sloga Jugomagnat, as winner of the Cup, accepted the invitation, and OFS Strumica held a press-conference at which it announced the big match to the public. At the same time, not only was such a match played, but as a prelude, two hours earlier the winners of the two second league groups (at that time the second league was divided into East and West), Bregalnica from Shtip and Shkëndija from Tetovo face each other. It is no wonder that such an idea came from Bosiljanov. It was he who previously organized the FSM meeting in the spring of 1992 in the hall of the Stopanska Banka in Strumica when the decision was made to secede from Yugoslavia and form its own Macedonian league.

The two matches were played on 16 June 1996 at the Mladost stadium in Strumica (today’s Blagoj Istatov stadium). The second league teams, first league participants from the following season, played from 16.00 CET, and the Super Cup was from 18.00 CET. The duel for the informal second league champion was won by Shkëndija with a result of 2:0.

When the real match came, although it was announced more as an exhibition match, the players of both teams did not think so. Both Sileks and Sloga Jugomagnat were chasing victory, so the main referee had his hands full. After the game was stopped in the 10th minute for referee Saganov to be sent into retirement with applause, his replacement, Vancho Kocev from Shtip, faced a very unexpected situation. The team from Chair was already leading 1:0 with a goal from Sead Kolashinac, and the fighting spirit and unfairness on the field were constantly growing. Towards the middle of the first half Zoran Miserdovski doubled the lead for the team from Skopje, and the Shtip referee showed as many as 4 red cards by the end.

Match report

Mladost stadium in Strumica
Sileks – Sloga Jugomagnat 0:2 (0:2)
Goals: 8′ Sead Kolashinac, 23′ Zoran Miserdovski
Sileks: Pero Kargov; Vlatko Ljushev, Marjan Nacev, Igor Gjuzelov, Mite Nacevski, Ljubodrag Miloshevikj, Vancho Micevski, Goran Georgievski, Zoran Boshkovski, Ilcho Borov, Vlatko Goshev. Came in from the bench: Borche Ivanov, Vlatko Kolev, Gorancho Georgiev, Miroslav Djokikj, Aleksandar Konjanovski. Coach: Stojan Arsov
Sloga Jugomagnat: Ismet Hajdarpashikj; Dragan Siljanovski, Esad Cholakovikj, Dejan Demjanski, Husein Beganovikj, Sead Kolashinac, Albert Imer, Feim Beganovikj, Zoran Miserdovski (Oldjaj Bajram), Nedjmedin Memedi (Arsim Abazi), Goran Janevski (Risto Petkov). Coach: Nedžat Verlašević
Yellow cards: Gjuzelov (S)
Red cards: Gjuzelov, Georgiev (S), Siljanovski, Kolashinac (SJ)
Referee: Stojcho Saganov (10′ Vancho Kocev)

FFM to recognize it as official

We appeal to the Football Federation of Macedonia to recognize this match as the official Super Cup of Macedonia 1996. Of course, it was organized by them, so there would be no precedent. There are various examples throughout Europe where after decades a club was declared the winner of a competition. Such an example is the title as Italian champion of Spezia from the 1943/1944 season, awarded only in 2002 as an “honorary” title.

Example from Albania

Also, we appeal to the new leadership of the FFM to correct the shortcomings of the past and return the Super Cup match to the calendar. It does not have to be played before the season, it can be played anytime in the autumn. There are countless examples around the world where this match is played even during the winter break. If Spain and Italy can find space for such a match in their calendars that are twice as crowded as the Macedonian one, then the FFM can too, the matter is whether you want it or not.

If neighboring Albania can play its Super Cup on 28 December, Macedonia can too, plus/minus that period. Albania has been organizing it on a different date in December for the fourth year in a row. You don’t have to go very far, let’s take the Albanian example. Albania has been organizing the Super Cup since 1989, and at the beginning they were skipping if a club won the double.

Who in Europe doesn’t play the Super Cup?

Macedonia is not the only country on the Old Continent that doesn’t have a Super Cup. There are dozens of examples of countries that have given up on it, for various reasons. Today, the Super Cup is not played in San Marino, Latvia, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark. All the others organize it, some even with four participants, which we think is an unnecessary exaggeration.

Lost generations

The 2025/2026 season is the 34th in independent Macedonia. This means that there should have been 33 editions of the Super Cup so far, and there have only been 3 official plus one unofficial. That is too much history never written, too many lost generations of football players who were left without a chance to play such a match.

If we make a list of all the unplayed Super Cup matches, it is too long. And, if we look at it, Macedonian football has been left without many interesting matches.

The current league champion is Vardar, and the Cup holder is Sileks. These two clubs should face each other in a Super Cup battle. However, there is no announcement from the FFM for such a match, it will probably be another year without a Super Cup clash.

All unplayed Super Cups:

1993: Vardar double title
1994: Vardar – Sileks
1995: Vardar double title
1996: Sileks – Sloga Jugomagnat 0:2 (unofficial)
1997: Sileks double title
1998: Sileks – Vardar
1999: Sloga Jugomagnat – Vardar
2000: Sloga Jugomagnat double title
2001: Sloga Jugomagnat – Pelister
2002: Vardar – Pobeda
2003: Vardar – Cementarnica 55
2004: Pobeda – Sloga Jugomagnat
2005: Rabotnichki – Bashkimi
2006: Rabotnichki – Makedonija GjP
2007: Pobeda – Vardar
2008: Rabotnichki double title
2009: Makedonija GjP – Rabotnichki
2010: Renova – Teteks
2011: Shkëndija – Metalurg 2:1 (I Supercup)
2012: Vardar – Renova
2013: Vardar – Teteks 1:0 (II Supercup)
2014: Rabotnichki double title
2015: Vardar – Rabotnichki 1:1, 4:3 p.s.o. (III Supercup)
2016: Vardar – Shkëndija
2017: Vardar – Pelister
2018: Shkëndija double title
2019: Shkëndija – Akademija Pandev
2020: Vardar – no cup winner
2021: Shkëndija – Sileks
2022: Shkupi – Makedonija GjP
2023: Struga – Makedonija GjP
2024: Struga – Tikvesh
2025: Shkëndija – Vardar
2026: Vardar – Sileks ???