By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan Belgrade coach Zeljko Obradovic wondered why the games between his team and archrival Crvena Zvezda are completed normally in EuroLeague but are often filled with disruptions on a domestic level.
“My position on this is known, I’ve been talking since day one,” Obradovic said after the loss of Partizan to Zvezda in the Serbian Cup semifinals. “Why other people don’t come forward to talk about it – I don’t know. I can talk about Partizan fans. I am against insults, throwing objects, any events of that kind. Why can derbies in the Euroleague be played without problems, but not in our competitions? You, as journalists, should write about who is fueling this kind of atmosphere, you should not look blankly and whistling, everything is well known.”
The latest edition of this Serbian classic was, once more, an intense affair. With seven minutes remaining, the referees had to pause the action and leave the court after fans were hurling items on the floor like lighters and coins. Partizan’s Danilo Andjusic and Red Star‘s Branko Lazic took the microphone to address the fans in an attempt to calm them down.
Similar incidents took place during last season’s ABA League finals and Game 3 in particular.
Regarding the game, Obradovic commented: “I congratulate Red Star on the victory. We opened the game superbly, played well, and then allowed Red Star to come back, conceding eight easy points. We talked at halftime about everything, how we allowed them to come back. I know how eager my players are, but they have to show their desire for 40 minutes.”