Acun Ilicali (foto: pigac.si)
Maribor owner Acun Ilicali presented coach Radomir Đalović, promising more investment and declaring that profit isn’t the goal: “We want to be champions.”
Acun Ilicali, the Turkish media mogul and owner of Maribor, visited Slovenia to present new head coach Radomir Đalović, who has already started working with the squad.
Change on the bench
Maribor began the season under manager Tanrivermis, but disappointing results led to a change. “We started the season with Tanrivermis and our expectations were high. We have good players, but the results and performances were not there. We decided to change the coach, but we did not expect to get a champion. Maybe God made it happen. We believe in him, and he believes in us,” Ilicali said.
Despite Celje’s big lead in the standings, Ilicali insisted he still believes Maribor can fight for the title this season.
Strengthening the squad
The Maribor owner also praised his team’s roster and recent signings. “We have a good team that must become even better. Zambrano is an excellent player, you will see it. Seri was once worth €35 million — with him the team is stronger. He is a leader on the pitch. But it’s not enough to bring in good players; you also need a good coach. Maribor is a big club with fantastic supporters. It’s not easy to convince players to come to this league, which is below their level, but Maribor is a big name.”
Profit not the goal
Ilicali stressed that financial profit is not part of the project. “There is no profit, and there won’t be. Even if we qualify for Europe, there won’t be profit, because we’ll invest even more. Every euro earned will go back into the club. We want to be champions,” he explained.
Responding to criticism
Ilicali also addressed critical media reports describing Maribor as a “circus.” He disagreed with the characterisation and asked for more measured criticism.