Zlatko Janjic played for MSV Duisburg for four years. He now works in the SC Verl office and suffers with his ex-club.

Zlatko Janjic is one of the most recognizable faces in the 3rd division. In the summer of 2022, the 38-year-old ended his career with Rot-Weiss Essen. After that, the former midfielder took some time off. “I took a little break and am now doing an internship here at SC Verl as part of my retraining to become a sports business manager,” Janjic said in the Magenta Sport halftime interview during the game against MSV Duisburg (1-3).

The former professional spends every day at the club’s offices, for which he scored goals from 2019 to 2021 and celebrated promotion to the 3rd division with the East Westphalia team in 2020. Now he is lending a hand and also supporting sports director Raimund Bertels. “An excellent job is simply being done here with the resources. We have a clear plan and a clear line,” praises Janjic.

There was also time to reminisce a little over the weekend. The former Knipser player was part of the team that was promoted to the second division in 2015. The current situation is upsetting for the Bosnian-born player. ”They are not in the best situation, so it’s not always easy to play football. The situation is absolutely terrifying. The club has so much potential and tradition. The conditions are unbelievable. It’s extremely sad to see.”

Janjic’s words are clear, and he does not yet see a possible turnaround in the 3rd division. ”I hope so, but I don’t believe it. There are just so many things against them because it has been going in this direction for years. At some point, you can’t get out of it.”

New defensive order from Boris Schommers

Boris Schommers’ team proved that hope against all criticism continues with a strong performance in Verl. His defense hardly allowed the strong opponents to develop with their short passing game and counterattacked. The reward: the first away win this season.

The fact that Marvin Knoll, despite a finger injury, played the full 90 minutes showed just how hard his players pushed themselves. He was part of the back five, or back three with Niklas Kölle, Rolf Feltscher, Tobias Fleckstein and Joshua Bitter, who is returning from injury, which was a key factor in the win.