Macedonia quarterfinal Eurobasket against Luthuania

Cable operators in Macedonia in trouble for broadcasting World Cup

Macedonia’s Council of Radio Diffusion (RDC) will press charges against cable operators for illegal rebroadcasting of the World Cup 2010. The Council made the decision at its latest session, after monitoring the cable operators which rebroadcast programmes.


“We will press charges against cable operators, which dare to rebroadcast entire programme packages, which haven’t been registered in the Radio Diffusion Council. Being the regulatory body we won’t tolerate breaking the law provisions,” the President of RDC, Zoran Stefanoski, said.


The Radio Diffusion Council pointed out that Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) is the one and only holder of the exclusive rights for rebroadcasting the World Cup 2010 in Macedonia.

Italian police detains Macedonians, who wanted to rob Jose Mourinho

Italy’s PFC Inter manager, Jose Maurihno, and four players of the club used to be target of a criminal group from Macedonia, Macedonian Spic newspaper writes.
The news broke from a Portuguese radio station, which happened to come across the information that criminal structures have been collecting important information about Mourinho.
After the Portuguese football expert learned the news, he required stepped up security for himself and his family. Police reacted immediately and seized the criminals.
According to unofficial information, the criminal group planned to kidnap Mourinho and ask for a ransom, the newspaper informs.

Macedonia drawn with Russia, Slovakia for Euro 2012 Draw

The qualifying draw for Euro 2012 was made in Warsaw, Poland with Group C arguably the toughest where Italy, Serbia and Slovenia were placed together.

Group A is also intriguing as Germany, Turkey and Austria were all drawn in the same pool while Portugal once again tackle Denmark in Group H.

Holders Spain have a relatively easy-looking group, although they will have to watch out for the Czech Republic and Scotland. England have an interesting British-derby against Wales in Group G.

Macedonia is in Group B with Russia, Slovakia Ireland, Armenia, and Andorra. Though this is relatively 'easy' group if comparing to other ones, not much is expected from Macedonia in this qualifying

Lazarov sets handball scoring record at worlds

Kiril Lazarov's 15 goals for Macedonia in a 32-31 win over South Korea gave him a handball world championship record 92 in nine matches on Thursday.

Yoon Kyuns-shin of South Korea previously held the record of 86 goals in nine matches at the 1995 world championship in Iceland.

Lazarov said he was "satisfied, proud and happy," and thanked his teammates because, "I wouldn't have made it without them."

Macedonia, competing in its second worlds, finished 11th. South Korea, the only non-European team to make the main round, was 12th.

Defending champion Germany finished fifth after defeating Hungary 28-25.

Scotland embarrassed by Macedonia

Macedonia 1 Scotland 0

Scotland suffered a disappointing start to their World Cup qualifying campaign when they slumped to defeat against Macedonia in their opening match.

The home side took the lead after just five minutes and Ilcho Naumoski’s strike proved to be decisive as Srecko Katanec’s men held on to claim all three points.

The searing temperatures in Skopje were always going to be an issue for the Scots and they lacked a cutting edge for the remainder of the game, failing to find the goal that would at least have allowed them to put an early point on the board.

George Burley had his preferred team in mind for several weeks ahead of this match and there were no real surprises when his starting XI was revealed.

Kenny Miller and James McFadden both started and were given the task of getting the goals despite a less than inspiring partnership in last month’s drab goalless friendly against Northern Ireland at Hampden.

With West Brom’s James Morrison injured, Barry Robson was given the nod in midfield alongside Celtic team-mates Paul Hartley and Scott Brown, as well as Darren Fletcher.

As expected, stand-in skipper Stephen McManus was able to shake off a knock he picked up in last week’s Old Firm derby to take his place in the heart of defence with Gary Caldwell.

Hundreds of Scotland fans were locked out of the City Stadium before kick-off when the Macedonian Football Association refused to allow entry to those with tickets for the home end, fearing for the safety of fans.

The 1,000 travelling supporters who did manage to see the game witnessed the worst possible start when Scotland found themselves trailing with just five minutes on the clock.

The Macedonians earned a free-kick just outside the area when McManus was deemed to have fouled Goran Maznov and Goce Sedloski stepped up for the set-piece. His effort was touched on to the post by goalkeeper Craig Gordon but Naumoski pounced to rifle home the rebound from six yards.

The Scots could have hit back through a free-kick of their own when Graham Alexander was fouled by Robert Petrov but Robson’s curling shot was weak and easily smothered by goalkeeper Petar Milosevski.

Macedonia threatened again when Petrov provided a cross from the left for Goran Pandev but his ferocious volley cannoned off the body of Caldwell, denying the home side’s star man the chance to add to their tally.

Scotland then had a decent chance of their own when Fletcher set up McFadden and he embarked on a run which took him past several red jerseys only for his shot to be blocked by the body of Igor Mitreski, before the Birmingham striker nodded the rebound wide.

At the other end, the home fans screamed for a penalty when Maznov went to ground under pressure from Gordon but the Macedonia man appeared to make the most of it and the pleas were ignored by referee Pavel Kralovec.

Veliche Shumolikoski then released Maznov on a surging run which was halted by Caldwell. The ball broke to Pandev but he fired straight at Gordon in what proved to be the last real chance of the first half.

Scotland tried to force their way back into the game after the break and Scott Brown drew a decent save from Milosevski with a well-struck shot from distance, before the heroics of Gordon prevented the visitors from falling further behind.

A Pandev corner was cleared as far as Shumolikoski who unleashed a thunderous long range effort that the Scots keeper just managed to tip over the crossbar with one hand.

Gordon then punched to safety a dangerous cross into the box from Pandev before Maznov could connect with a header at his right post.

Scotland made their first change when Kris Commons replaced Hartley, before Gordon was again called into action to block a point-blank effort from Naumoski.

Burley’s men failed with their own claim for a penalty when Miller played through McFadden and he went to ground as the goalkeeper dived to claim the ball.

No spot-kick was forthcoming and all McFadden earned for his protests was a yellow card from the Czech official.

Miller was withdrawn for Rangers team-mate Kris Boyd with ten minutes to go as the Scots had one last throw of the dice but Macedonia held on for maximum points with Burley still seeking his first win as Scotland manager.

Macedonia: Milosevski, Noveski, Petrov, Sedloski, Mitreski, Lazarevski, Georgievski, Shumulikoski, Maznov, Pandev, Naumoski. Replacements: Pacovski, Polozani, Tasevski, Demiri, Trajanov, Grncarov, Ristic.

Scotland: Gordon, Alexander, Naysmith, McManus, Caldwell, Hartley, Fletcher, Brown, Miller, McFadden, Robson. Replacements: McGregor, Boyd, Broadfoot, Maloney, Commons, Stewart, Berra.

Referee: Pavel Kralovec (Czech Republic)

Player ratings:

CRAIG GORDON: The only player to enhance his reputation. Deserved better for the goal after a brilliant save onto the post, and followed that up with another stunning stop – 7/10.

GRAHAM ALEXANDER: Solid enough defensively but simply did not get forward enough from right-back, especially in the first half – 4.

STEPHEN McMANUS: Appeared unlucky to concede the free-kick which led to the goal. Looked uncomfortable in the first half but improved, holding a higher line after the break – 5.

GARY CALDWELL: Magnificent tackle to prevent Goran Maznov making it 2-0. Made a couple of other vital interventions as well – 6.

GARY NAYSMITH: Much more of a threat than Alexander, the left-back delivered one superb cross after the break – 5.

SCOTT BROWN: Repeatedly gave the ball away in the first half and faded badly in the second – 4.

PAUL HARTLEY: Struggled to nullify the threat of the deep-lying Goran Pandev and failed to set the right tempo from his deep-lying midfield position – 4.

DARREN FLETCHER: Failed to make any significant impact on the game – 4.

BARRY ROBSON: Looked the most likely midfielder to cause Macedonia problems, with some good runs and testing deliveries from set-pieces – 5.

JAMES McFADDEN: The one outfield player who looked a genuine threat, he was often a one-man attack and was unlucky to be denied a second-half penalty – 6.

KENNY MILLER: Cut a lonely figure in front of a midfield which failed to provide adequate support or service. Also had a good penalty shout – 4.

Substitutes

KRIS BOYD (for Miller, 80): No time to make a significant impact – 4.

SHAUN MALONEY (for Robson, 76): Looked lively but introduced too late – 5.

KRIS COMMONS (for Hartley, 65): One very dangerous cross but otherwise largely ineffective – 5.

Burley disappointed at defeat

George Burley insisted Scotland did enough for a draw as their World Cup qualifying campaign got off to the worst possible start in Macedonia.

In his first competitive game in charge, Burley watched his side concede just five minutes into the game in a wretched first-half display in Skopje.

But Burley, still without a win four games after taking over, insists his side’s improved second-half display deserved more.

"Disappointed to lose but all of the second half I thought we dominated the game," he told Setanta Sports 1.

"We kept battling away until the end and I thought they deserved something out of it."

Scotland were denied what appeared two good penalty shouts in the same attack when Kenny Miller and James McFadden were brought down in the box.

"I spoke to the boys and they thought it was a stonewall penalty," said Burley, who refused to criticise a referee he had expressed concern about in the build-up to the match.

"Overall, the referee had a good game. Maybe that decision he got wrong."

Burley refused to use the heat as an excuse for his side's slow start and revealed how his half-time team-talk led to an improved second-half showing.

"I said ’I want you to step on a bit more, not back off them, put them under pressure’," he said.

"And, second half, I thought we were outstanding. We played some good football, passed it well, but their keeper’s made a few good saves."

He added: "You don’t always get what you deserve."

Burley set a target of 17 points out of 24 from Scotland’s Group 9 campaign but he does not believe Wednesday’s match in Iceland has now become a must-win game.

But he said: "You’re always looking to pick points up."

Fans locked out

The misery of hundreds of Scotland fans at today’s World Cup qualifying defeat in Macedonia was compounded after they were refused entry to the ground.

Up to 1,000 supporters were locked out of the stadium in Skopje before kick-off after being told they had bought tickets for the home end and would not be allowed in on safety grounds.

Riot police were called in to ensure order was maintained, forcing supporters to return to town if they wanted to watch the game on television.

Scottish Football Association security advisor Derek Kirkwood said travel club members had been allowed entry with no problems.

But he added: "There’s probably about another thousand who have come over to Macedonia in the hope of maybe getting tickets for the match and they’ve been buying them off people in the street.

"Unfortunately, they’re for the Macedonian section of the stadium and the police commander in charge of the event is not allowing these people in."

The Macedonian FA had repeatedly warned in the build-up to the game that if they suspected spectators entering the home section to be Scottish then they would not be admitted.

Kirkwood insisted the SFA had made representations before the game to let these fans in but the efforts were refused, even though the stadium was not full as he had been told it would be.

He told BBC Scotland: "We’ve done absolutely everything we can in our power to say to them (the police), ’Look, these guys are known as the greatest fans in the world, won’t you please just let them in. I know they shouldn’t be buying tickets in the street but there’s room in this stadium. We can assure you they’ll go in there and not cause any bother’.

"But the police chief has just said, ’Absolutely not’."

Kirkwood admitted today’s scenes could be repeated in Wednesday’s qualifier in Iceland.

"We’ve only got 1,000 tickets for the stadium up in Reykjavik and again the Tartan Army want to see the game," he said.

Women Handball: Brazil 27-25 Macedonia

In the decisive match at the Women's Youth Handball Championship, Macedonia lost to Brazil 27-25 (11-13). It became evident in the loss against Croatia that the Macedonian handball team performs poorly under pressure.

The mistakes the team made against Croatia were mistakes that really no one should make. The coach admitted the pressure got to them, but even he was shocked at the number of errors the team committed.

Same story against Brazil. Macedonia started the match well, lead through most of it, only at the end the pressure to get to them once more, loosing the lead and the match all together. Talent wise Macedonia has good players, though the inexperience in playing big matches and the pressure put on them by the RFM proved fatal at the end.

With a victory over Brazil, Macedonia would be on the train to place between 1 to 12th place, now is on the train between 12 and 24th place. The pressure is now gone, and I wouldn't be surprised if Macedonia wins their remaining matches.
Pero Stamatovski

Ipswich swoop for Macedonian star

Macedonia midfielder Velice Sumulikoski has joined Ipswich Town from Turkish club Bursaspor for an undisclosed fee, subject to a work permit.

The 26-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Portman Road after impressing during a trial.

"Velice has come in and made an immediate impression," Ipswich boss Jim Magilton told the club's website.

"He's slipped under the radar and we have have managed to pick him up. We are delighted to have him here."

Sumulikoski made his debut for Macedonia in 2002 and twice played against England in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

The player, who has been capped 48 times by his country, started his career at NK Publikum and had spells with Slovacko and Russian outfit Zenit St Petersburg before joining Bursaspor in 2006.

He recently had a trial at Blackburn, who were reportedly interested in signing him.

A senior NATO official has told Macedonian leaders that the next few months are going to be decisive for Macedonia’s NATO membership bid.

The tiny Balkan nation host Croatia today and, if they win, they will keep alive England’s chances regardless of the result between Israel and Russia.

Group E leaders Croatia still need a point to qualify and, if they lose here in Skopje, England will be able to pip them to a Euro 2008 spot by beating them 2-0 at Wembley.

Steve McClaren’s men suffered a shock goalless draw at Old Trafford against the former Yugoslav republic.

And their star striker Ilco Naumovski, 24, has vowed to boost England’s chances by producing yet another shock result against Croatia today. He told SunSport: “I would like to see England go to Euro 2008 because it’s a big nation.

“Every football fan would prefer England to go to the European Championships than Croatia.

“I play football in Austria so I would like to watch England this summer. If we beat Croatia I know England will have a chance. I am 100 per cent sure we won’t lose here. I am 100 per cent convinced we will win here.”

Naumovski’s team-mates are a bunch of journeymen who ply their trade in Europe’s lesser leagues like Austria, Greece and Cyprus.

They are all desperate to get away from the national league, where the average monthly salary is a paltry £140.

In other words, some players in the squad of the Balkan paupers earn 1,000 times less in a month than England skipper John Terry earns in a WEEK.

Yet Naumovski insists they are not a team of no-hopers and they proved that with the goalless draw in England — one of the results that have brought McClaren’s men to the brink of catastrophe.

Naumovski added: “We have a very good team. We showed that against England. If we can draw in England, why can’t we beat Croatia at home?

“First we play for our country but if we can help England as well then great. There is no way Croatia will walk this game. They will have to fight hard not to lose it.

“This game is much too important for us.

“This is a Balkan derby, a big-time match.

“I know every Croatian player, they’re friends of mine. But they’re no friends of mine on Saturday.

“For us we all want to win, no draw or loss against Croatia — never!

“We need points to ensure our FIFA ranking stays high but this local derby is more important than that.

“Croatia and England are different teams. Croatia is a more technical team but I prefer the style of England.

“Against England every country gives 200 per cent because it’s one of the biggest. It would be a great shame for England if they didn’t qualify — and for the tournament itself. Don’t forget, football comes from England.”

Naumovski, who plays for Matersburg in Austria, is set for a switch to English football — with Reading and Leicester eager to snap him up.

He dreams of playing in the Premier League but SunSport understands the offer from Leicester supremo Milan Mandaric is better than the one from the Royals.

Naumovski added: “I know Reading and Leicester are interested in me. I would love to play in England.

“I know people will be coming from England to watch me in that game. It’s my big dream to play in England. In the past I was close to coming to England but I got injured.

“Now I’ve been playing in Austria for a couple of years and I was voted the best striker there last season.”

Macedonia skipper Goce Sedloski last night sent a blunt message to England: “You’ve only got yourselves to blame if you do not qualify.”

Sedloski, 33, who played in the Premier League for Sheffield Wednesday a decade ago, said: “England can’t say they are relying on Israel or ourselves to get a result.

“It’s their fault they could not beat us and they lost to Croatia and Russia. Although I would like to see them in Euro 2008, if they don’t go it means they don’t deserve it because they could not get results in the games that mattered in Moscow and Zagreb.”

A draw would be considered a great result for Macedonia. Yet Sedloski insisted his side will go all out for the win at the Gradski Stadium.

He added: “We must get the points because it’s important for us ahead of the draw for the World Cup.

“There’s no calculation for us and we don’t think that a draw is good for both our team and Croatia. We will play to win.”

Macedonia faces FIFA exclusion

SKOPJE -- PM Nikola Gruevski issued a last-minute plea Friday for factions within Macedonian football federation to agree on a president.

An agreement is an only way to save the national teams from exclusion by the sport’s worldwide governing body.

“Instead of thinking of their own interests, both sides should consider Macedonian interests for affirmation through this sport,” a statement from the prime minister’s office said.

The dispute began last month when the so-called “initiative committee for saving Macedonian football” accused Haralampie Hadzi Ristevski, the president of the Football Association of Macedonia (FSM) of taking office after an illegitimate election.

Hadži Ristevki is recognized by FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, as the legitimate FSM head.

The committee elected Emil Bozinovski as president and took over the FSM building.

Last week, FIFA representative Gregory Surkis arrived in Skopje to investigate the dispute. Surkis threatened Macedonia with expulsion from FIFA membership if Hadži Ristevski is not back in his office by the end of Friday.

This would mean that Macedonia’s national team will not be able to finish qualifications for the 2008 European Championship and will not be allowed to play or organize friendly matches. Macedonian teams also would be banned from other international competitions and FSM would not receive financial support from FIFA or UEFA, football’s governing body for Europe.

Bozinovski’s camp announced Wednesday they will not back off their position even if Macedonia is expelled from FIFA.

On Friday, Hadzi Ristevski called on the prime minister to be more decisive.

“I have daily contact with FIFA and UEFA and they are surprised that still nothing is done. Because of that, Macedonian football will be isolated from the world,” Hadzi Ristevski said.

CROATIA 2-1 MACEDONIA

CROATIA coach Slaven Bilic was delighted after his side came from behind and scored an 88th-minute winner in Zagreb to pull them five points clear of England at the top of Group E.

"We are glad England were held to a 0-0 draw in Israel, it is a major bonus for us," said former West Ham defender Bilic (above).

"This is a big win for us because the Macedonians have shown once again they are a tough nut to crack. It came down to our character and quality."

Croatia fell behind to a goal from Macedonia captain Goce Sedloski. But Sedloski was sent off for a second bookable offence early in the second half.

Sub Darijo Srna drew level on the hour with a superb free kick and set up Eduardo da Silva to grab the clincher.

Transfers galore in FYR Macedonia

There has been a frenzy of transfer activity involving the top four clubs in the Prva Liga as they prepare to start the second half of the season.

Four contenders
With just six points separating the four frontrunners, each club has made changes to its squad in the hope of finding the formula that will provide the decisive advantage. Currently, FK Rabotnicki and FK Makedonija GP Skopje have 37 points from their 18 matches with FK Vardar three points behind and FK Pobeda in fourth position.

Brazilian trio
The most frantic dealings occurred at Vardar where several players joined but an incredible 12 players departed. The Skopje side signed Burhan Emrulahu from FK Shkendija 79 and goalkeeper Pece Korunovski from FK Pelister, while the biggest intrigue surrounds Vardar's capture of three Brazilian stars - Carlos Filho, Claudio Franca and Daniel Da Silva.

Striker departs
Weighed against those incomings, the loss of prolific goalscorer Riste Naumov to Cypriot outfit AC Omonia and talented Under-21 international forward Ivan Trickovski, who became a free agent, were major blows to Vardar's hopes. Also quitting the club were Vladimir Despotovski, for Belgian team KVC Westerlo, and young star Vladmir Medić, who has inked a deal with rivals Rabotnicki.

Makedonija disrupted
Makedonija have also been disrupted after their leading marksman Filip Ivanovski switched to Polish side Groclin Grodzisk Wielkopolski, where he will appear alongside Macedonian colleagues Vlade Lazarevski and Pance Kumbev. The striker said: "I've come to a club with big ambitions and hope my goals will help my new team." Ivanovski's replacement at Makedonija is FK Napredok frontman Aleksandar Stojanovski.

Champions bolstered
Champions Rabotnicki added two players to their squad as they look to regain the title. Bojan Kraljević has arrived from Montenegro's FK Zeta and former FK Radnicki Niš player Nemanja Milosavljevic also signed up. But forward Ardijan Nuhiju left for KS Dinamo Tirana and midfielder Zekerija Ramadan went to PFC Belasitsa Petrich, while striker Zoran Miserdovski and Cameroonian Armand Dubois Jankep were released.

Double capture
Pobeda, meanwhile, snapped up two players from FK Baskimi - Ilir Elmazovski and Dimitar Kapinkovski - and lured Bosnian Bojan Golubović from FK Leotar, though those singings were tempered by the news that U21 international defender Vance Sikov transferred to Greek giants Olympiacos CFP. Elsewhere the chase for the league's top scorer, Boban Jancevski, is hotting up after the 18-goal starlet left Baskimi as a free agent.

FIFA and UEFA concerned by situation in FYR Macedonia

Zurich, 23 January 2007 - FIFA and UEFA sent a letter to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the FYR of Macedonia yesterday after the Macedonian FA offices were closed on 15 January and some members of its management were detained at the Ministry of Interior for several hours.

FIFA and UEFA are surprised by the Macedonian Ministry of Interior's action, in a move that violates the principles of autonomy that apply throughout the sports movement.

FIFA and UEFA are asking the Macedonian government to restore the normal situation and to stop interfering immediately in running the football association.

In the coming days and weeks, FIFA and UEFA will determine what action to take in response to the situation that has occurred in Macedonia should the Macedonian government continue their interference, which contravenes article 17 of the FIFA Statutes.

Macedonia government must back off

ZURICH, Switzerland -- FIFA and UEFA have demanded that the government of Macedonia stop interfering with the country's football association.

The call follows a raid on the Macedonian FA last week by the country's interior ministry in which a number of sporting officials were detained.

"FIFA and UEFA are surprised by the Macedonian Ministry of Interior's action, in a move that violates the principles of autonomy that apply throughout the sports movement," the world and European governing bodies said in a joint statement.

The organizations demanded that the government "restore the normal situation" and "stop interfering immediately in running the football association."

Refusal to do so could entail further measures against Macedonia as the government's actions contravened the FIFA statutes.

Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski said they had not yet received the letter, and added that police were acting appropriately in their capacity to fight corruption and organized crime.

"The Interior Ministry did not prevent the Macedonian Football Federation from functioning and cannot understand this reaction when institutions are simply doing their job," Kotevski told The Associated Press.

"Indeed, we expect the federation leadership to support all efforts to shed light on the current situation."

FIFA has been taking a tough line on governments it suspects of interfering in the running of their soccer federations, often suspending national teams from taking part in international competitions until demands are met.

Macedonia are currently fifth in Euro 2008 qualifying Group E level on points with England and Israel, but trailing leaders Croatia and Russia.

Their next group game is away to Croatia on March 24.

FIFA Could Dismiss Macedonia Because of Rows with Football Federation

Skopje. FIFA could dismiss Macedonia from participation in matches because of the last rows in the football federation of the country, the press announced in Macedonia. Police sealed the building of the federation late on Monday evening and last night the secretary general Lazar Mitrovski was arrested. The situation in Skopje is monitored by UEFA, Utrinksi Vesnik reports. The Macedonian Football Federation chairman Hari Hadjiristevski said that there will be serious reaction directly from the Macedonian cabinet, the newspaper adds.

Macedonian Football in Complete Mess

A very tumultous and violent football weekend in Macedonia! Players of Rabotnicki were beaten up in Kumanovo. Players of Makedonija GP were beaten up in Tetovo. Referees were beaten up in Stip... total chaos on Macedonian football pitches! A lot of complaints, accusations, press-conferences followed after this shocking 16th round in the Macedonian First League. The protagonists of this scandalous round came from following matches: Bashkimi - Rabotnicki (1:3); Renova - Makedonija GP (0:2) and Bregalnica - Napredok (1:2).


Rabotnicki players beaten up in Kumanovo's stadium tunnel
Rabotnicki had the lead in half time against Bashkimi in Kumanovo. When the players of the visiting team went to their locker room they were met by some unknown people in the tunnel of the stadium. Goalkeeper Tome Pacovski, Nderim Nedjipi and the captain Stojan Ignjatov were beaten up in a tumultous mess. Of course, the second half of the match was on the edge of being cancelled, but the brave players of the Macedonian champion gathered energy and extra motivation and finished the match with a victory.

Police stops breakout of punchfest in Tetovo
There were brawls between players in a match in Tetovo too. Renova hosted Makedonija GP and the visitors deservedly won the match in a boiling hot atmosphere. There were no incidents during the 90 minutes of the match, but when the players of the visiting team were leaving the pitch and entered the tunnel of the stadium, Makedonija's experienced defender Vladimir Despotovski was punched in the face by an unknown person. Bigger incident was about to occur between all the players of both teams but luckily the Police stopped it.

Bregalnica players attack referees
The three referees were on target in Stip, where the hosts Bregalnica were defeated by two controversial goals of Napredok. When the visitors scored the second controversial goal, some of the Bregalnica players ran infuriated to the referees and chased, pushed and kicked them around the pitch. The match continued after a 10 minutes break and 3 red cards.

If those incidents continue to happen on Macedonian football pitches, very soon we will have to use the line: "I went to a football game, but saw a boxing match!"