Former coach of Burmese football club Yangon United, Marjan Sekulovski, has officially signed as the new head coach for Maziya Sports and Recreation Club.

On Saturday, Sekulovski was officially recognized as the first foreign coach of Maziya. The club previously had two local coaches - Ismail ‘Imma’ Mehfooz and Ali Suzein.

The official signing ceremony was held during a press briefing at the Galolhu National Football Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, Sekulovski said he was familiar with Maldivian football and assured to give his full commitment for Maziya.

“I believe that Maziya can make a difference in the upcoming season with the current squad of local and foreign players,” Sekulovski stated.

Referring to the changes brought to the format of the AFC Cup, Sekulovski said he prefers the former format for the tournament.

Earlier, an official of Maziya told RaajjeMV that the decision to appoint a foreign coach was made by the club’s executive board.

Sekulovski is a coach who is familiar with Maldivian football and with experience of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the official said.

He had earlier coached for Myanmar’s Ayeyawady United and was most recently coach for Yangon United which came out against Maziya in last year’s AFC Cup.  

The 43-year old coach has also headed some youth teams and first division clubs of Macedonia. In 2014, he was selected as the best Macedonian foreign coach by the Macedonian Football Federation.

In preparation for the upcoming football season, Maziya had appointed a foreign coach although there have been no new contracts for players.

Meanwhile, two key players had left Maziya – they are keeper Imran Mohamed and forward Ahmed ‘Nattey’ Naashid.