Buducnost has finally become a club that fills its “blue-white” showcase with trophies from year to year and a club that has the champion’s DNA engraved in its name, which the largest domestic club was expected to work without problems after Montenegro’s independence.
However, the first 12 seasons of the Montenegrin championship brought only four cups, while during the last four competitive years, five were won – a total of nine.
The “Blues” won a new trophy in the Cup final with a victory over Dečić (1: 0) under Gorica in a beautiful atmosphere, in the right way they crowned a great finish of the season in which they taught a lesson to eternal rival Sutjeska and better Dečić, they kept the halo of the most trophy team in the country, and confirmed their dominance by winning the fourth trophy out of five in the last three years …
“The season is very successful, because we continued to win the trophy – after the title in the season marked by the crown, and the double crown last year, now the Cup has arrived,” says club president Veselin Mijac, with whom we analyzed what was done in the just finished season. .
“The beginning was turbulent, both because of Europe and because of the departure of some key players with whom we parted ways after the agreement. This certainly influenced us to lose the rhythm at the start, while the new coach needed time to get used to the players, as well as the players to adjust to him and his system. I think that we played European football in the second part of the championship, we showed that we can play well, and that is especially true of the games against our competitor Sutjeska. We looked fantastic in those duels, and I am also very pleased with how we played in the Cup final against Decic. “
“The most beautiful match of the season”, as the match for the National Cup trophy was characterized years ago, was something that Montenegrin football can be proud of.
“The final match of the Cup was real, the relationship between the players was correct, both teams fought in a great way, and the complete impression was complete due to the large number of fans at the stadium – because of all that, it was one of the best matches for me. in season. Of course, I am always glad when Buducnost wins trophies, but I must congratulate Decic on everything and the time will surely come when they will also be looking forward to the historic cup. “
We defended the cup, but we did not succeed in the double crown – President, is it a pity that the title changed its owner and moved to the Sutjeska camp?
“Absolutely. The coaches have their own professional impression, but as the president of the club and someone who watches the matches non-stop, I have the right to express my opinion. We dominated in all duels with Sutjeska, from the first one which was controversial in some way to the last one when we confirmed our placement in the Cup finals. So, we were at the level of Sutjeska, we could have won the title, but the rival had greater discipline and continuity, and I congratulate them on that. On the other hand, I have already said what happened to us, but I repeat that we had a successful season and that I am satisfied with the work of the professional staff and players, as well as all the people in the club, “said Mijač.
The impression of everyone who loves and follows domestic football is that we need more quality matches such as Budućnost – Sutjeska, Budućnost – Dečić, Dečić – Sutjeska … And the pace seen in those derbies.
“Of course, that would make our championship better and more watched. Players need to be even more dedicated and focused on football and even more fitness ready in order to get closer to a fast game. I would like to single out Sutjeska, Decic and us as three teams that follow European football trends. “We all need to look for, bring in and make fast players together so that one day we have a serious chance when it comes to European competitions.”
Let’s go back to the beginning of the story – out of nine possible trophies, our Buducnost has won four (two championships and two Cups) in the last less than three years, as Veselin Mijač is officially the president of the club
“I am proud and very pleased with that. Of the five possible trophies since I have been here, we have won four. There were departures at various levels, the reorganization of the club was done in progress, but it was done well because we kept the continuity of games and results and nothing that affected the players. We seem to have made a harmony that probably didn’t exist before. The fact that the employees of the club do not think about economic problems certainly has an impact, but the key to everything is good communication and division of labor to know who is doing what. “
The fact says that the capital Podgorica, which is owned by our club, did the best job since independence when it signed a contract with the Swedish company “Savannah” in September 2019 …
“We must not think that Vesko Mijač came and performed a miracle and discovered America, because then, as now, there are similar players in the club. It is not so much the president or the head of the professional staff that is important, as – I will repeat – the organization. With good organization and resolved economic issues, maybe Buducnost would have won that fifth trophy without me. My role as president is to put everything in the right way, and surely no one would have given me a chance if everything had been sorted out before me. It is up to all of us employees to work for the benefit of the Future, and people have realized that work must be done. I will quote Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who during the season in Milan’s campaign for the title repeated ‘we must be a team, a team, a club …’. From the economist, through the players, all the way to the club’s management, we have to act as a team. Without that, there is no success. We have succeeded to some extent, and we will work on it more “, it is clear that the man is a child of Podgorica, but he developed a successful business in Sweden as a young man.
“We will work on that” – that is a clear message that Buducnost is not yet at the level at which the first man of the club sees it …
“Of course we all have to work even harder together, because we have to secure the club. Since we are transparent as a club, our budget is two and a half million, not a million and something that is auctioned in the media. We need to create those two and a half million, and we must work in order for the Future to settle its finances in the long run. “
Budućnost is a benchmark in terms of finances, and our club follows a few clubs in that regard …
“We all know one thing, that football is expensive. No club can be what it wants if it does not have settled finances and if it does not have a budget of at least one and a half million euros. We have ten clubs, at that level are the three clubs we mentioned and that is one of the reasons why we cannot improve. Everyone has to come to a similar level in order to push each other. And part of that budget should be younger categories because that is our present and future. Everyone is saying that we are going to the preparations on Zlatibor, and shouldn’t our league serve as a preparation period? “Obviously it doesn’t serve us, that’s why we are going to play with better teams, because we don’t have competition like Sutjeska or Decic.”
Is there a plan on how to secure finances and arrange them for a longer period of time? After all, the plan has existed since the arrival of our president …
“We don’t have money from sponsors, we don’t have money from the audience, and the only thing left is our children to work from morning till night, as well as to have a clear vision. We have a plan and we started with it, and that is the production of young players, which I would warmly recommend to all other clubs. We need to spot talent in time, develop it, nurture it and create the right player through youth school. That is our biggest goal at the club. Let’s not go further, the real example is Viktor Đukanović who received an invitation for the A selection and that is a great recognition for the club, as well as for all the coaches who have worked with him since he started playing football, “said Veselin Mijač. , who added …
“Djukanovic came to us three years ago, Petar Grbic played a big role in all this together with me, we did a great job with Viktor, as well as with other young players who also showed potential and who are yet to show all their luxury. Later, Grbić left us, which is normal in business, it was part of the reorganization that – in my opinion – was necessary. “
The mentioned budget of two and a half million includes the Youth School and scholarship agreements with which talented kids are awarded. In addition to the head coach, each of our generations mostly has an assistant, as well as a goalkeeper coach and a fitness coach. The youth school definitely follows world trends. And precisely because the club dedicates itself to every child to the maximum, the president’s decision is not to go for a “bucket”.
“If we can’t prove – despite the fact that the league has a bad reputation – that our best children are not on sale like in the market, then we should give up work immediately. I see that some experts and managers are guided by the idea of ’our league is bad, I can’t ask for big money for a player’ and they want to sell it and take as much money as possible for themselves in order to play clubs. I think the opposite, because because of such people we are where we are. Dinamo and Crvena zvezda, for example, take between five and ten million euros for similar talents, so I guess we can take at least two !? Our championship rating is bad, but we can’t sell supertalent for 150,000, we have to appreciate ourselves. This is the only way we can continue with professional football in Montenegro, and if we fail to raise the sales of players to a higher level, our football will become completely amateur in five years “, Veselin Mijač is clear.
Lazar Mijović, Viktor Đukanović, Andrija Ražnatović, Damjan Dakić, Vasilije Terzić … All of these are players that serious European clubs watched during the entire season, scouted them, and marked them as interesting. But Buducnost will not be an “easy negotiator”.
“We will not overestimate anyone, but we will not underestimate either. I repeat again that I do not want to be ashamed of the Montenegrin league and our players, so that we enter the negotiations with a lower value complex. We need to be aware of how much something is worth. After all, what would we let any player for some money that is a humiliation for the club now that Europe is knocking on our door? I do not agree with the story that our players are cheap, because the league is bad and belittling. That fight for construction on the market will continue, but we will try to position ourselves on the European map. Big steps have been made, because as far as I know, almost none of the big clubs came to the box under Gorica, and now it was full in the Cup final. “
The fight for market positioning is a fight for all clubs from the domestic league …
“Our biggest handicap is that we did not have organized sales of players through clubs, the managers took care of the players when they were kids and before their 18th birthday, took them away, advised them not to sign contracts and so the clubs lost players. That can no longer happen in Buducnost, and I hope it will not happen in other clubs either. We should keep our children if the offers are not good, so let them stay for another year, because that way we will have a better league. And when I talk about “good offers”, I think it will be positive for the club, but also for the player, because it means nothing to us to sell a good player who will not have minutes in that club. If I had some power, no one from our championship would have gone 22 years ago, so we would have a better league. “
So, Buducnost has its own direction – it is the development of young players in the Youth School and forcing in the first team? Just as it was the case during the previous two seasons, especially in the just finished …
“It simply came to our notice then. If we fail to develop players, which our club has been doing throughout its entire lifetime, and sell them when the time comes, we will slip into amateurism. But I repeat, we will not sell them just to be good to the club, but I will personally stand up for every young guy and participate in the negotiations, because I want to get the best conditions for them. I have no intention of making money as a club and getting rid of them. That is by no means “, said Mijač.
By creating talent, the future does not mean only itself, but also the entire Montenegrin football, primarily the Montenegrin national team, and we have over 20 of our players in various selections, which is also commendable for the club.
“If we can’t improve Montenegrin football, then we do everything in vain. Everything is done for the sake of the national team, because it is something that should be most important to us all. I don’t want to think that there is any favoring by the Football Association of Montenegro from some individuals, but I think that there must be younger players in the A national team, when the rule in the championship is that two guys under 21 have to play. ” says Veselin Mijač, so he continues …
“I am surprised that Lazar Mijović did not receive an invitation last year, when he had a great goal-scoring performance, at least to feel the atmosphere. It would be a step forward, young guys would see that someone appreciates their work, so they would work even harder and better and they would not think they are playing just because they are “bonuses”. However, now Viktor has been invited and it is certainly a great stimulus for all young players from our league. But I still think that there was room in the national team for the greatest pearl of Montenegrin football for his age, Lazar Mijović, especially because he plays together with Viktor and because he played great at the end of the season. I don’t think it matters at all that they are young, but that they deserve an invitation if they are one of the best players in the league, and Lazar and Viktor are. I say again, I know there is no favoritism or any hidden motives, I’m just expressing my views. “
The course of our club is definitely young players, but trophies are always expected from Buducnost, especially on the domestic scene …
“If we make the assumption that Djukanovic, Mijovic and Raznatovic could leave the club, it would certainly not be interesting for us. But if there are good offers, real offers that I talked about, we will release them. However, we have already joined five talented players who are 16 years old, who also have talent and we will continue the production continuity, and we will look for other young men all over Montenegro. In addition, we will have older players, and in ten days, when we know who is leaving, we will fight to bring in players who make a difference. Of course, the goal of the club is the championship and Cup trophy for next year as well. However, the focus is on young players, and in my opinion, that is the only right thing to do to save Montenegrin football. “
Preparations start quickly, and we are playing the first game in Europe practically in a month of checkers …
“We all know less – we need more for Europe, and that is to work fast, because the pace of our league does not meet European needs. Maybe we can pass the round – two with some heart and sacrifice … We need more time to parry Europe, as well as total physical preparation to withstand all the efforts that await us. Our league allows us to bring three foreigners, in a way it is useless for us to bring three extra players if the others are not at that level in terms of preparation and speed. We have to have a deadly pace in continuity, and we had it against Sutjeska and Decic, while in the duels with Jezera and Zeta – we didn’t. “We will work on all this in the coming period – speed, preparation, we will try to eradicate the selfishness that is still a little bit – and we hope that something good will happen in Europe.”
In the end, we also touched on the fans who followed the club from game to game, and who created a European atmosphere in the derbies with Sutjeska and in the Cup final against Dečić. After winning the Cup, the president, management, professional staff and players visited them at a celebration they organized in Stara Varoš.
“Anyone can attack them, but I am proud of them. They are self-sacrificing, they love the club, they always came and spent their resources – we have to appreciate that. It is an organization that is only interested in the Future and is focused on football. We have the best fan group, I think they cause us the least problems in relation to what other fan groups across Europe are doing. Of course, there will always be incidents, which cannot be avoided, but there were not many of them this season. The management that now leads Buducnost and the fans have found harmony in talks and support, all together are committed to the success of the club and that is the most important thing, because the club is above us and the club of us all, “said FC Buducnost president Veselin Mijač.
