Who will be the new coach of Maribor? If it’s Boštjan Cesar, he won’t be the first Ljubljanaer to sit on the bench of the Violistas in independent Slovenia
Photo: Žan Pak & Luka Vovk / Sportida
Ante Šimundža is now part of Maribor’s past. The club’s management from Ljudski vrt thanked him for his service on Tuesday after a year at the helm. The homegrown coach’s fate was sealed by a defeat to Celje. Now, everyone is curious: who will be the new coach? Could it really be Boštjan Cesar?
The record-holder for most appearances in Slovenia’s national team and the first Slovenian to break the 100-cap milestone is the top choice for the Štajerska club—or rather, its investors from Turkey… It’s a legitimate option, after all, Cesar is a highly promising coach. However, it could also be risky. While Cesar shows promise, he remains largely inexperienced, never having coached at the club level.
Another question that might seem trivial but is important in Maribor is this: Boštjan Cesar hails from… Ljubljana. What’s more, he’s a product of Olimpija. He has never hidden his affection for the green-and-white club. In 2017, he told Ekipa when asked about finishing his career at Olimpija: “You never know what will happen in football. The fact is, Olimpija is in my heart, so… I’ve already played for them, I started my career in this jersey, so it’s only logical that I’m a huge fan of theirs.”
Football is, of course, first and foremost about professionalism. Players have moved from Madrid to Barcelona… Besides, Boštjan Cesar has contributed far too much to Slovenian football to deserve being pigeonholed based on his origins.
The last coach from Ljubljana lasted only 9 matches
With all that said, here’s an interesting fact: if Boštjan Cesar takes the Maribor bench, it will break a nearly 30-year tradition! It’s clear that few people from Ljubljana have sat on Maribor’s bench in the past. You could count them on one hand. But in independent Slovenia, there was such a figure. In 1995—it was autumn, just like this time—Janez Zavrl was appointed Maribor’s coach. However, historical records don’t say much about his stint under Kalvarija.
Primarily because it was so short-lived. Večer newspaper once classified Zavrl, brother of Rudi Zavrl, former president of the Slovenian Football Association, and father of former Slovenian national team player Janez Zavrl Jr., as a “one-season or less” coach. In fact, Zavrl led Maribor for less than one season. He managed only nine matches! That season was turbulent for Maribor; the club changed four coaches (!), and stability only arrived with Bojan Prašnikar, who later guided Maribor to the Champions League.
In any case, Šimundža is now Maribor’s past, and Cesar may be its future. We will likely know more by Thursday, when the long-time Slovenian national team captain is expected to arrive for talks in the Štajerska capital.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet