FCZ’s sports director in an interview: Are you already looking for a new coach, Mr. Malenovic?

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Milos Malenovic has been working as a sports director at FCZ for a few months. He has not given any interviews since. That changed at the beginning of this year. Blick visited the former football player and advisor at the FCZ training camp in Chiclana de la Frontera for a long conversation.

View: Milos Malenovic, coach Bo Henriksen extends his contract with FCZ? Yes or no?
Milos Malenovic: There is nothing we can communicate yet.

But you still want to continue with him.
Yes, we’ve said that many times and nothing has changed.

When can we expect a decision?
For our part, we would prefer to do it as quickly as possible. But again, we’ll message you when it’s ready.

Are you probably already looking for potential successors to protect the interests of the club?
As long as we see an opportunity to extend Bo’s contract, we will not concern ourselves with other matters. Anything else would be disrespectful to Bo.

Another new face at FCZ wouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, there have been a lot of changes lately.
Lots of changes: which ones are we talking about?

New assistant coaches, new youth coaches, a new head of scouting, leaving the office.
Yes, but it remained relatively quiet in the first team. With the new assistant coaches, we have strengthened the technical staff and optimized the structures. In the juniors we consciously decided that we wanted to move the process forward quickly; that was absolutely necessary.

However, employees usually do not view changes positively.
I experienced it completely differently. The reactions were very positive. We don’t want inhibitors. We want people who are proud to wear this logo and help the club move forward. People have left who no longer convey this. If we feel that this is the case with someone, we will always take action. Success comes before everything.

You have signed a four-year contract with FCZ. What exactly do you plan to do with the FCZ? You once mentioned the Ajax model as a model.
It’s not about us copying Ajax. But we also want to be a club, with a clear DNA and a clear structure. There is no plan B, there is only one common plan that we will implement. We have already implemented the first measures on a technical and tactical level and are currently implementing our playing principles. We want to play attacking, courageous and attractive football. We are already achieving our first partial successes with young talent.

What does that mean specifically for the players?
Athleticism, speed and perfection on the ball are very important to us. And we want to sustainably and consistently recruit youth players who have internalized our DNA and have the necessary courage. Just like at the big clubs, we want 16 and 17 year olds to make the breakthrough.

By when should this be implemented?
It is a continuous process in which we want to improve little by little. I am aware that today and tomorrow we will not be where we want to be. But we have to start living with it today.

What should the future FCZ stand for?
It doesn’t matter who comes to us: the person has to have the vision, I’m here because I want to be the best, I want to be a champion and I want to hear the Champions League anthem.

That sounds like quite a cultural change.
Clearly. The question arises as to who is willing and able to participate in this. Because here in Switzerland we are generally in a comfort zone. Most people have a plan B. We are in fantastic hands and don’t know what it means to suffer and live with existential fear. But it must be clear to every player here that every day could be the last in football. Players from South America, Africa, the Balkans or other countries with difficult backgrounds develop exactly this grit. You feel that in training and in competitions. Football is a top sport, and that is exactly what it is all about.

Is the Swiss league also in a kind of comfort zone compared to the leagues in Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden?
The biggest difference with certain countries is that we have a huge problem when it comes to TV money. I don’t think the distribution is fair. In Poland, Belgium and the Netherlands they sometimes get more than ten million francs, while we get between one and three million francs. This may not work in the long run. The result is that we are losing more and more teams to investors, such as GC and Lausanne, which is very sad for Swiss football.

You gave up the lucrative consultancy profession for the position of sports director. Why?
An incredible number of things came together – professionally, time-wise and family-wise. The past twelve years as an advisor have provided me with a lot of material. And I was always open to working at a club one day, partly because I had a little too little emotion after my football career.

Have you always imagined working among the canepas?
As an advisor, there were situations where I thought, ‘Oh, those poor sports directors who work under them.’ Joking aside. They are emotional and the biggest FCZ fans. They love the club and it is their baby. But these are topics we needed to discuss. Ultimately, in the role of sports director, I also want to be the father of this child. I need my field. But it is important that we always analyze everything together.

How did the first contact about this position come about?
Very special. But I have to go back a bit: I used to give my players individual training on a small artificial pitch in Wollishofen. Then I met Ancillo Canepa. He was enthusiastic about my training methods. But I haven’t been there in a long time since then. See you this summer. Before the transfer campaign I was jogging there and suddenly I got a call from Canepa. At first I was very surprised and overwhelmed. I told him I would call him back in two or three days and didn’t even say thank you for the call. He was just as surprised at my reaction.

And then?
I didn’t wait two or three days, but called him ten minutes later and asked if he was in the office. I was with him this afternoon. That’s how it all started.

Now you know the Canepas as employees. What do they mean to you?
They are role models, confidantes and, with so much life experience, a kind of teacher.

You celebrate your 39th birthday today and have long been a renowned figure in football. As children they could have taken a completely different path. They played the accordion and had the opportunity to go to the conservatory in Winterthur. Why did you choose football?
I then received an offer from GC that we couldn’t refuse. They paid for the KV training and I even received a small salary. That was pure luxury for my family at the time. Because when I was growing up, my parents sometimes had two or three jobs at the same time.

How often do you still play the accordion today?
At least once a week. Early in the morning, usually on Sunday morning, I play quietly with my son. He is fascinated by it and dances. I also played for my family at Christmas. When I play this instrument, I am in another world.

How much child is there in today’s Milos Malenovic?
I brought a lot with me. I may be a perfectionist sometimes. But it’s the obsession with details that makes it so.

If you think that you are also one of the best as a team leader, are you the ideal successor to the Canepas?
That’s not a problem right now and I’m not interested in talking about it. Today I’m working on what I can influence.

Source : Blick