Ante Šimundža emphasizes before the match without spectators: “If we’re working for the good of football, we would expect things to be approached differently”
Photo: Žan Pak
In the Prva liga Telemach, the final quarter of the season begins, during which Maribor will play most of their home games in front of empty stands. The gates of Ljudski Vrt will remain closed four times due to events in Murska Sobota, and Ante Šimundža, the coach of the purple team, publicly expressed his belief ahead of Friday’s match against Radomlje that those responsible should approach the situation differently.
“This is something we cannot influence. The people who decide on these matters have not thought about the fact that football is played for the spectators. In our case, we have a multitude of people who love football, love coming to Ljudski Vrt, and mean a lot of support to all of us. Therefore, we all believe that there will be positive energy on the pitch, which will be transmitted inside the stadium and we will return it with a successful performance on the field,” Ante Šimundža initially told the club’s website.
The coach of the Styrian giants, currently third in the league table with a seven-point gap behind second-placed Olimpija, then continued: “Sports are played for the spectators, and football is no exception. We saw an excellent atmosphere at the national team match in Ljubljana. Maribor is the best in terms of attendance and atmosphere in the Slovenian league, so it is even harder to accept that someone takes away what you love to do. So the habit of coming to matches. The Football Association of Slovenia (NZS) has been very passive in solving this case. If we work for the good of football, we would expect things to be approached differently.”
Šimundža: “Applause is an additional motivator”
Regardless of everything, Ante Šimundža emphasizes before the match against Radomlje, who recently eliminated the purples from the cup, that all of the above should not affect the players too much. “We had to forget about everything and the preparation for the match does not differ from the others, but playing in an empty stadium will mean a completely different experience, so we must be at a high mental level. Many are drawn to an extra move or motivated to play even better when playing in front of spectators. We all started playing football out of love, and when it becomes a profession, it’s even better. But when you hear applause, encouragement from the stands, it’s just an additional motivator. Therefore, we cannot say that the realization of playing without the presence of spectators is negligible, but we will have to adjust accordingly,” concluded the 52-year-old Ante Šimundža.
Photo: Žan Pak
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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