Marked for Daniel Stanisic
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market1 Mar 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sibenik can pretend not to have heard.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
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Squad1 Mar 2027
Toni Španja was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad1 Mar 2027
A row about effort at Sibenik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Marko Đira was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout1 Mar 2027
Stipe Rupić knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sibenik, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad1 Mar 2027
Franco Beljo: “I am not a substitute”
“I have done everything asked of me in training and it has not changed a thing on a Saturday.” The most familiar complaint in football, and one Sibenik will have to answer with minutes or with a transfer.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match28 Dec 2026
Every point is an argument now for Sibenik
Position 8 and 18 points, and the table gets read bottom-up in this part of town. The calendar has stopped being a schedule and started being a countdown.
Market28 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sibenik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Sibenik
Toni Španja and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad28 Dec 2026
Words at Sibenik training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Karlo Špeljak is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
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The dugout28 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Niko Ljubić
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad28 Dec 2026
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Daniel Stanisic commits to Sibenik for another 3 years.
The dugout28 Dec 2026
Charles Agada asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market28 Dec 2026
The name of Diego Sekulić keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Sibenik say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market14 Dec 2026
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sibenik, and it is not being withdrawn.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Words exchanged at Sibenik
Marino Skelin and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad14 Dec 2026
A row about effort at Sibenik
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Karlo Špeljak was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Market14 Dec 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Daniel Stanisic has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Marco Russo, and the manager let it.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Karlo Špeljak gets picked when it counts
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Karlo Špeljak is on it.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“I want to play”: Marco Russo speaks
“I respect the manager and I am not going to sit here and pretend I am happy.” It is the most common sentence in football and it has never once been the end of a story.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Josip Baturina knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sibenik, and both men came out saying it was fine.