The former Albanian president of the Football Federation of North Macedonia (FFM), Muamed Sejdini, was arrested in the early hours of this morning, accused of misappropriating approximately 700,000 euros in funds received from UEFA.
According to information from media in North Macedonia, the funds are suspected to have been provided by UEFA and were intended for football development. Investigative authorities are examining how they were managed and utilized. The suspicions relate to funds designated for the construction of a football stand at the Ohrid stadium, for which there are indications that the amount may have been spent unlawfully.
Unofficially, it is learned that the new FFM leadership, upon taking office, identified irregularities and suspicions of misuse, filing complaints with the relevant institutions. The Football Federation of North Macedonia announced on February 6 of this year that its Disciplinary Committee had fined former president Sejdini in connection with an advance payment of approximately 700,000 euros to a contracting company responsible for building a stand at the "Biljanini Izvori" stadium in Ohrid.
Sejdini, as reported by the FFM at the time, was given a disciplinary measure banning him from holding a position for a two-year period as a delegate in the FFM Assembly, due to the act of fraud and deception of a body of the Football Organization, in accordance with Article 84 of the Disciplinary Regulations.
Sejdini took over the leadership of the FFM in 2018. Under him, North Macedonia achieved its greatest success in history by qualifying for Euro 2020. He left the position in 2024 after his term ended.