June 27 – North Macedonian playing legend Goran Pandev has said the sale of FK Akademiya Pandev to Brera Holdings has been completed.
The former North Macedonia international parted with his shares but remains at the club as president. Next season the club will be rebranded and renamed as FC Akademiya Pandev Brera Strumica.
In May this year Brera Holdings paid €600 000 for 90% of the shares of North Macedonian club.
“I became the president of Academy Pandev Brera Strumica, our name remains, but our club is rebranded. The board of directors that is in New York, decided that I should be the president, with my experience, with the knowledge of the Macedonian mentality, I can help the people coming from abroad a lot. Finally, all the procedures regarding the takeover of Akademya Pandev have been completed,” said Pandev.
“90 percent of our club’s shares were bought by Brera Holding and from this season a new mission begins, a new project that will be good not only for Strumica football, but also for Macedonian football. New people come in, with new ideas. We will see the benefits of this project in 2-3 years, with hard work, with an expert staff from Italy, we will bring something new to Macedonian football,” he added.
Italian coach Giovani Valenti has been appointed as head coach of the team. The 47-year-old, who was born in Brescia, most recently led the U18 Parma team. Before that, he was on the coaching staff of the Italian U20 national team.
Under the club rebranding, the coat of arms of the municipality of Strumica will be incorporated into the club previous emblem, with Brera Strumica written in Latin script.
Youth development is seen as the key to the club’s future with a first team built from its own youth system. The club said there will be “investments in youth facilities with organization and participation in strong tournaments, better football infrastructure, exchange of experiences with famous European football centers as well as building quality football players with the opportunity to be part of big football clubs abroad, but also cooperation with all other football clubs from Strumica and Macedonia.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1731578534labto1731578534ofdlr1731578534owedi1731578534sni@o1731578534fni1731578534