Kotarski makes another mistake: FC Copenhagen fans call for Croatian goalkeeper's exit
The Croatian national team goalkeeper was directly responsible for Lyngby's second goal, and fan reactions on social media were fierce already by halftime.
The Croatian national team goalkeeper was directly responsible for Lyngby's second goal, and fan reactions on social media were fierce already by halftime.
Croatian national team goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski has once again found himself in the crosshairs of FC Copenhagen fans after directly causing a goal in a domestic league match against Lyngby, with harsh criticism and calls for his departure from the club immediately surfacing on social media.
Copenhagen were losing 1-2 at halftime on home turf, and Kotarski bore part of the responsibility. The Croatian goalkeeper misjudged the flight of the ball when coming out for a cross, and Simon Colyn capitalized by sending the ball into an empty net to make it 2-1. Copenhagen managed to turn the game around in the second half, equalizing at 2-2, then taking the lead 3-2 in the 75th minute and eventually securing the win. Despite the happy ending for the club, Kotarski's error did not go unnoticed.
Fan reactions were fierce already by halftime. "This defense is disgracefully bad, and Kotarski is the worst goalkeeper I've ever seen in the Superliga," wrote one fan. Another added: "Kotarski is still clowning around. I have to say, I started laughing so I wouldn't cry." Some fans went a step further, calling for the player's departure from the club: "It would be great if Kotarski and Gabriel soon play their last match for the club." Criticism was also directed at the club's financial policy: "The most expensive ones keep making mistakes. Gabriel, Suzuki, Lopez, and Kotarski. Bring in the youngsters instead of those overpaid flops."
Kotarski is going through a difficult time in Copenhagen. Last season, which was one of the worst for the club in recent history, the goalkeeper was in the crosshairs of fans and critics, and at one point even received death threats. This came after he caused a goal in the fifth round of the UEFA Champions League against Kairat Almaty, a match Copenhagen still won 3-2. He also had a rough evening in the fourth round of the Champions League, when Tottenham scored four goals at home for a 4-0 victory, with the first two goals coming directly from Kotarski's errors. In the 19th minute, he rushed out of the penalty area, which Brennan Johnson exploited to make it 1-0, and a similar scenario occurred in the 51st minute when Randal Kolo Muani blocked his attempted clearance, and Wilson Odobert then scored for 2-0. Kotarski was also directly at fault for Borussia Dortmund's fourth goal in a 4-2 defeat at home, for which he received a Sofascore rating of 4.6, the lowest among all players in that match.
Despite the current difficulties, Kotarski has a solid career behind him. He came through Dinamo Zagreb's academy and as a young talent moved to Ajax, where he made 60 appearances for the second team Jong Ajax. In senior football, he established himself at Gorica, then spent three seasons as PAOK's first-choice goalkeeper in Greece, winning the Greek league title in 2024. In the summer of 2025, he signed a five-year contract with FC Copenhagen. He made his senior debut for the Croatian national team in March 2024 in a friendly against Egypt, and was also part of Zlatko Dalić's squad for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Thus, Kotarski finds himself in an unenviable position: a five-year contract with Copenhagen provides stability, but the pressure from fans and media is mounting. The new Danish league season has just begun, and a goalkeeper who was a key player for PAOK in previous years must now fight for the trust of fans at a club where he was supposed to be a long-term pillar. Whether Kotarski can turn things around and stabilize his performances will be shown in the coming matches.
