Our Technical Advisor, Jozef Vukušič, has been in discussions with denniksport.sk about Star Sport Academy and his journey across various countries, including those in Africa.

Jozef Vukušič spent the summer at the Botev Plovdiv academy and played for the Bulgarian team alongside Jozef Majoroš Jr. After returning home, he quickly returned to his passion for football and began another adventure in Africa. Coach Jozef Vukušič had more news to share.

After your time at Botev Plovdiv, what did you do?

“I traveled a lot. I visited China and Hong Kong, focusing mainly on football. I did internships and met with various clubs and contacts.”

“I also returned to South Africa to see my friends and visited famous places like Polokwane, Johannesburg, and Durban. I spent about a month there. I even spoke with some clubs about training opportunities, including Marumo Gallants and Durban City.”

“There is a new trend in South Africa to seek cooperation and connections with Europe. This was not common before, but now they aim to meet European standards in football club management.”

You had quite a range of experiences.

“I traveled to other parts of Africa as well, including South Sudan. I had the chance to coach that country’s national team.”

The national team? South Sudan isn’t typically appealing in Europe. Weren’t you worried?

“No, I was interested in the football side of it. It was intriguing to be offered a position with a national team, especially since the league plays in just one stadium.”

How did they reach out to you, and how was the experience?

“An official contacted me to see if I was interested. Knowing the situation there, I offered to visit first. I stayed for about ten days.”

“I kept telling them positively and with a smile that after the second qualifying round, I would return home and come back for the group stage.”

We talked for a long time. I met alone with the president for three hours. I presented my concept for the national team and overall football development, which the executive committee liked. We nearly reached an agreement.

What happened in the end?

“After returning home, I waited for news. I had a video call with the union secretary who expressed interest, but then things went quiet. Eventually, I learned that an Arab investor had come in with a new coaching staff, which changed everything.”

But you didn’t stay at home for long. Did a new opportunity come up?

“I received a call from Star Sport Academy FC in Sierra Leone. They were set to play in the African Champions League after another team withdrew. They needed my expertise, and I had some history with the club from a tournament in Freetown years ago. So, we arranged for me to go there. I ended up spending almost two months there during my vacation.”

Did a club from a little-known country reach out to you?

“Not exactly. A manager who knew me from FC Cape Town contacted me. They lacked international experience and played in a tournament the West Africa Champions Cup as part of their CAF Champions League preparation in Guinea to prepare. We spent two weeks there and played three strong matches.”

Africans value European coaches.

“We lost two matches but won one against Real Bamako from Mali, a team with a strong history. After that, we moved on to the Champions League matches. I’ll admit, the chance to work in the Champions League was a big draw for me, and I wanted to see the quality of teams in that tournament. The club is ambitious and progressive by African standards.”

“They aim to train players and have made some transfers to Europe, particularly to Norway and Sweden. They wanted me to review their club concept and give advice.”

Were you only hired for the Champions League?

“Sort of. I should clarify that I was the technical director. I oversaw the first team and the implementation team. The team is presently preparing for a tough second-round preliminary against a top Moroccan side, RS Berkane. They reached the 2026 semi-final of the CAF Champions League.