Dino Stančič returned to Sežana to help the club back to the 1. SNL, but encountered a completely different Tabor: “At first, I couldn’t believe it!”
Text: David Klemenc. Photo: Grega Valančič / Sportida
With the September international break, Prva liga Telemach is on pause, so the eyes of football enthusiasts are turned towards the always interesting second division stage. Already on Friday, one of the matches that many consider the central event of this round will take place in Sežana, at the Rajko Štolfa Stadium. Tabor will face Gorica, the clubs leading the 2. SNL standings.
Last year’s coastal derby, which was seen as a one-sided match due to the quality differences between the teams, promises a completely different clash this year. Both Sežanci and Novogoričani have started the season strongly, surprising many. Despite Tabor securing their place in the 2. SNL last year after a strong spring finish and a fair amount of luck (as Rogaška did not receive a license), the results in the new season have filled fans and players with optimism.
One of the key figures of this year’s team is 32-year-old captain Dino Stančič, an offensive midfielder born in Sežana with rich experience from the first and second Slovenian leagues and abroad. He developed his football skills in Koper, where he played two seasons with the senior team, and at the age of 19, he also appeared in European competitions. After shorter stints in Dekani and Krka, he returned to his home club, spending some time with the cross-border Kras from Repno. He returned to Tabor in 2017 and then earned promotion to the first league with his teammates in the 2018/19 season through additional qualifications against Goričani.
Tabor and the job of a commercialist
After three seasons in the first league, Stančič decided to take on a challenge abroad and accepted an offer from the second Romanian league. “That last season was the most successful of my career – 35 league appearances and 14 goals. There were plenty of offers, but I chose an interesting Romanian project, even though my close ones were initially skeptical about the destination and the league,” explains Dino Stančič. The Romanian club Csikszereda from Miercurea Ciuc, where the majority of the population is Hungarian, had high goals supported by Hungarian capital.
“The Romanian second league is much stronger than anyone would think,” says Dino Stančič, who went to Romania together with his teammate Klemnom Nemaničem, now a defender for Celje. Although his teammate was there for only half a season, Stančič stayed the entire season: “We aimed high, but unfortunately it didn’t work out – both for the club and for me personally. Injuries took their toll.”
After a season in Romania, Stančič rejected a contract extension and decided to move to the Italian Serie D, where he played for Clivense and Bolzano. “The quality of the league, infrastructure, and finances were surprisingly good. I can’t compare it to Maribor and Olimpija, but compared to other Slovenian clubs, everything was at a higher level,” adds Dino Stančič. After a season in Italy, he decided to play football more casually. “I’m already over 30, so it’s time to start thinking about what I’ll do after my career,” says the 32-year-old, who now works as a commercialist in a large Italian company, just a stone’s throw across the border.
A hobby that he still masters
However, Stančič could not completely leave football behind. The Sežana club announced the return of the “”prodigal son”” with a pompous video this summer. “An opportunity arose, we talked, and I easily decided to help for another season,” says Stančič, who enjoys football, which now represents just a hobby. A hobby that he still masters.
In four matches, he has scored two goals and provided two assists. After losing in the first round, the Sežanci have recorded three consecutive victories and, together with Gorica, have the best attack in the league, having scored an impressive 12 goals in four matches. “We know that Gorica is the top favorite, but things have also aligned for us. In Friday’s match, we will go all out, and for both teams, a loss or a draw would be a minor disappointment,” believes Dino Stančič.
After being relegated from the first league last year, the Sežanci faced enormous challenges, from player departures to sponsor withdrawals, yet they managed to play all 30 rounds. “This year, however, a new wind is blowing in the club. We can finally see what many investors in Slovenian football promise – commitment to the goal and seriousness,” praises Stančič about the foreign investors. “I couldn’t believe it at first, but everything is working excellently. Things in the club are organized, old debts are being resolved, and it seems that this is it.”
After a successful start to the season, the appetites of players and fans have risen. “The Tabor I left and the Tabor I returned to are completely different clubs. This year, we loudly desire to finish among the top four clubs, and our quiet wish is to return to the first league if the opportunity arises,” says Stančič, emphasizing that it is now much easier to play in the club. “When things in the club are organized, we can think only about football during training.” The 2025/26 season could thus bring a first-league team from the Karst region again. “We wouldn’t want to rush, but I wouldn’t lie if I said we want to return to the first league,” concluded Dino Stančič, who has scored 19 goals in 101 first-league matches.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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