NK Maribor also paid tribute to the coach’s father: “Small in stature, but among the greatest in fearlessness and relentlessness”
Photo: NK Maribor
Slovenian national team was saddened by the news of the death of the father of coach Matjaž Kek before their departure to Malta. Franc Kek bid farewell at the age of 90, and upon his passing, some kind words were also written by NK Maribor, a club that the Kek family has left a mark on in one way or another.
“We announce with sadness that we have lost one of the pioneers of the story in purple. Franc Kek passed away at the age of 90, a member of the first team of NK Maribor, who had significant contributions to the revival of a new project. As the captain of the former Železničar, he advocated for the transfer of players to the then newly established club, and others followed his example. He was among the smaller ones in stature but was among the greatest in fearlessness and determination. He was a player with special trust from coaches, a man for special tasks. When Franc Kek was guarding opposing attackers, they rarely found themselves among the scorers,” Maribor wrote on their club website.
At Ljudski vrt, they added upon Franc Kek’s passing: “In purple, he was the father of Matjaž Kek, our longtime player and coach, the current coach of the Slovenian national team, who played 51 games and later worked as a coach for youth selections in the football school. We express our deepest, heartfelt condolences to all his relatives. Franc Kek, rest in peace!“
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet