Slovenia boss reveals ‘really nice relationship' with GAA star ahead of Nations League rematch vs Ireland
WHEN Sasa Kolman's Slovenia thumped Ireland 4-0 in the Nations League, he had one congratulatory message that stood out.
In advance of the game, the manager attributed his self-belief to an encounter with Jim McGuinness at
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Four months ago his side defeated the Girls in Green 4-0 in Koper
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Irish players were second to every ball on the night
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Jim McGuinness has already led Donegal to victory in this year's Ulster Championship
The Donegal boss was
And Kolman revealed: 'We were talking on WhatsApp. He saw a headline from when I spoke to him at Celtic in 2013, that I thought I was going to 'conquer the world'.
'He said, 'Sasa, you took it literally!' I said, 'Well, you told me so!'
'It's a really nice relationship. No contact since Koper — he's in his business, I'm in mine.
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"It's been pretty hectic with four international games in four months. Maybe I'll hear from him tomorrow.'
The friendship has made a GAA fan of Kolman.
He said: 'I just follow Donegal. Because of Jim. I didn't watch against Cavan because we were on the way here, but I've been reading about it. They smashed them.
'I was pretty sad when he decided to go back, I really thought he has a big future in football. Maybe he still has.'
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Kolman also complimented the facilities at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
He said: 'It's a fantastic stadium. Even when we were driving here, everybody was looking outside the window.
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"We would just wish that we would have facilities like that one day in Slovenia.'
As for their rematch, Kolman knows Ireland will provide a different challenge this time.
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He said: 'That game in Koper changed Ireland more than they changed us.
"They took something out of it. They look very good, very compact.
'But to finish six from six, that would make a huge statement in Slovenia.'
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