Article by Tudor Belivacă – Published Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:15 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:15 p.m.
Zeljko Kopic, the coach of Dinamo, prefaced the duel in the semi-finals of the Romanian Cup with the University of Craiova. The match was scheduled for Thursday, April 23, at 8:30 p.m.
Zeljko Kopic spoke about the future opponent of the “dogs”, but also about the situation of Mamoudou Karamoko, a player injured in the match with U Cluj. The Croatian coach hinted that Karamoko's repeated injuries could be down to his extra-sport life, which the club cannot control.
Zeljko Kopic: “Karamoko is not ready to come in tomorrow. It's a similar situation to that of Dennis Politic”
“I feel very good. The team is good. We only have two problems: Karamoko is not ready and neither is Jordan Ikoko. Otherwise, everyone else is in training and ready. The spirit is very good, especially after this win. It is a confidence booster for the players. We await the important night tomorrow.
Karamoko is a player with a history of injuries. We are doing everything we can to stabilize him. Things happen, though. It's similar to what happened with Dennis Politic. From our side we try to see what we can do, but it also depends on the player. We cannot control the player's personal life 24/7 and how he feels. We have the parameters and we try to help, but it also depends on the player. When we talk about quality, that's part of the discussion, but also about taking care of your body and making yourself available to the team. That's what big clubs look for. You need players who are ready to be on the field.
One is the mechanical accidents, in the duel, but the players have to take care of them and solve their problems”, said Zeljko Kopic at the press conference preceding the game with Craiova University.
Karamoko has missed several games this year due to injuries, most recently after the injury against FC Arges in the regular season in early March. This season he played 27 matches, scored 6 goals and provided an assist in all competitions for the “dogs”. It is quoted at 550,000 euros.
