Uzbek footballer Abubakir Muydinov left Trayal around a month before the end of the season. The club from Kruševac had not yet been mathematically relegated from the Serbian First League, but its management had already lost faith in survival.
“They released him around a month before the end of the season. They said there was no longer any hope of staying in the league,” the player’s agent, Farrukh Sayfullaev, told Eurasia Football.
Muydinov’s departure was never officially announced. Trayal did not even bid farewell to him on social media, despite the Uzbek player scoring three goals and playing an important role in the club’s first-ever run to the Serbian Cup quarter-finals.
More playing time under Miladinović — then an early departure
Muydinov did not leave Trayal because he had lost his place in the team. On the contrary, his situation improved following a change of head coach.
Bojan Miladinović took charge in mid-March after a defeat to Grafičar and a poor start to the spring half of the season. Club president Miloš Kocić said at the time that the team needed “shock therapy”, according to KruševacGrad.
It was Miladinović’s first job as a head coach, having previously served as Dejan Branković’s assistant. The former Red Star Belgrade defender knows Uzbek football well: he spent six seasons with Pakhtakor and also earned his Pro coaching licence in Uzbekistan.
Under the new coach, Muydinov returned to the regular rotation. He started several matches and also featured in consecutive victories over Tekstilac and Borac.
His final appearance came away to Borac in Čačak on 26 April. Muydinov came on during the closing stages as Trayal won 2–0, securing their second straight victory. Four days earlier, the team had beaten Tekstilac by the same scoreline.
Six rounds and 18 points were still available. Trayal’s position was extremely difficult, but relegation had not yet been mathematically confirmed. The management, however, had already decided to start reshaping the squad, and Muydinov did not appear again after the victory in Čačak.
Two goals against Napredak and a historic cup run
Muydinov was not an undisputed starter for Trayal, but he played a notable role during one of the most successful cup campaigns in the club’s history.
His only league goal came against Grafičar. He entered the match in the second half and equalised in the 78th minute to earn Trayal a 1–1 draw.
His finest performance in Serbia came against Napredak in the Cup. Trayal defeated their Kruševac rivals and Serbian top-flight side Napredak 3–0, with Muydinov scoring in the 11th and 76th minutes.
Trayal then eliminated another top-flight side, Železničar Pančevo, to reach the Serbian Cup quarter-finals for the first time in the club’s history. They drew 1–1 with Vojvodina in the last eight before being eliminated on penalties.
Muydinov finished the season with three goals in all competitions and was among Trayal’s leading scorers. Despite that contribution, the club’s official channels carried neither an announcement of his departure nor a message of thanks.
Six defeats after his final appearance
Trayal did not collect another point after their victory over Borac.
They lost 3–1 to Dubočica, 3–1 to Kabel, 2–0 to Ušće, 3–0 to FAP, 3–0 to Grafičar and 5–1 to Smederevo. Across those six matches, the team scored three goals and conceded 19.
The departure of one player cannot, of course, explain the team’s complete collapse. The chronology is nevertheless striking: Muydinov had begun receiving more playing time under the new coach and featured in two consecutive victories, while Trayal failed to earn a single point after his final appearance.
Kruševac allocated 115 million dinars to sport
The financial background to Trayal’s unsuccessful season also attracted attention.
Kruševac allocated a total of 115 million Serbian dinars to sports organisations in 2026, Kruševac Press reported.
Trayal received 11.5 million dinars — exactly 10 per cent of the city’s entire sports budget and approximately $110,000.
The club was the fifth-largest recipient of municipal sports funding. Only the Kruševac Football Association, Napredak, the Napredak 12 women’s handball club and the city’s sports association received more.
According to a separate nine-year review by Kruševac Press, Trayal received no funding under this budget line between 2018 and 2025. The entire 11.5 million dinars recorded for the club from 2018 to 2026 was allocated in 2026.
The money was not formally intended for first-team salaries or transfers. The official decision of the City of Kruševac states that the funding was awarded to FK Trayal’s youth academy programme.
The programme covers 220 participants. Its stated objectives include developing young players, producing footballers for the senior team, building a winning mentality and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The publicly available decision does not explain in detail why a club that had received no such support in previous years was suddenly awarded 11.5 million dinars.
Youth given a chance only after survival hopes had faded
The direction outlined in the municipal programme became visible only towards the end of the season, once Trayal’s fight for survival was effectively over.
Young goalkeeper Stefan Marković, Danilo Marjanović, Ognjen Dakić and Bogdan Dunjić all started the final-round match against Smederevo. Filip Pajkić and Pavle Milosavljević were introduced during the second half.
Trayal therefore used at least six players from their youth ranks in a single match. The game ended in a 5–1 defeat.
There is no evidence that Muydinov’s departure was directly connected to the youth academy programme. The chronology does, however, reveal a change of direction: once the management stopped believing in survival, the club began reshaping the squad and giving greater opportunities to youngsters.
From Bunyodkor to Estonia and Serbia
Muydinov developed in Bunyodkor’s system and represented Uzbekistan at youth international level.
He moved abroad at a young age, first joining Dubai-based Al Nasr and later moving to Portuguese club Leixões. He made a promising start in Portugal but was unable to establish himself in the first team and left during the pandemic, as his agent previously explained to Eurasia Football.
His next opportunity came with Estonian club Tulevik, where he enjoyed a productive season, scoring three goals in 15 appearances in the country’s top division.
After returning to Uzbekistan, he played for Andijan-SGS and Dinamo Samarkand. With Dinamo, he scored against Pakhtakor in the Uzbekistan Cup and helped the club earn promotion to the Super League.
Muydinov arrived in Serbia at the beginning of 2025. He scored once in the league for Trayal, struck twice against Napredak in the Cup and contributed to the club’s historic first appearance in the national cup quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old is now looking for a new club. He may continue his career abroad, remain in Serbia or return to Uzbek football.