Branko Ilić: ”The days of the fishermen are over”

Before the away game against Klaksvik, Branko Ilić helped us to get an insight into the opponent’s side. The former Dragons captain visited the Faroe Islands for the first time in 2012. With Slovenian national team he beat Faroe Islands 0:2. He later visited the same location in a Partizan Belgrade jersey.

“Going to the Faroe Islands is a very special experience. The climate there is completely different from what we are used to in Slovenia. I have personally been there twice. Once with the national team and once with the club. We played close to the sea, it was very windy, it rained practically all the time, and the cold was also quite a problem. The stories about the plane not landing normally after a long journey are also true. The runway is very short and narrow. It is between mountains. Nevertheless, it worked out well at the time, because we won in the end,” said Ilić.

The former central defender with a wealth of international experience says of the team that has produced many international surprises this season: “Klaksvik proved in the European Qualifiers that it can surprise anyone. They knocked out the two overwhelming favourites, Hungary’s Ferencvaros and Swedish champions Hacken, and they didn’t let up in their first two Conference League group stage matches against Slovan and Lille. They even chipped a point from the French. It will certainly be difficult for Olimpija, but with the right approach, fight, energy and desire, we can hope for a positive result. The general public thinks that teams from such countries are uncompetitive, some even call the Faroese fishermen, but those days are over. Games are not won in advance. Especially on artificial turf, because other European clubs are not used to these conditions.”

Ilić believes that Olimpija can openly attack the best opponents in Europe in the future. The Green-White path will not be easy, but we have to believe: “Zoran Zeljković and Džengis Čavušević were my teammates at Domžale. We have known each other for a long time, we are in regular contact. We are all from Ljubljana and of course I wish them success. When a person who grew up with a club comes to the club, the view of everything is completely different. This is then reflected in the performances on the pitch and the atmosphere off the pitch. I am confident that Olimpija under Zoran’s leadership will be successful both on the domestic and international scene. The team has quality and can definitely compete with the best,” concluded Branko Ilić, looking forward to tomorrow’s clash between Klaksvik and Olimpija.