By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
If it wasn’t enough that Bosnia was defeated last night at home by Russia for the Eurobasket 2017 qualifiers, the incident that took place between Mirza Teletovic and Dzanan Musa, added some strongly negative colors to the picture of the match.
Mirza Teletovic, who is also captain of Bosnia’s national team, apologized for his behavior in his post-game comments. “I am sorry I reacted in this way. I am sorry and I don’t shrink from my responsibilities.”
“Sometimes there are tensions like that in a team. I’ve spent my life representing the national team of Bosnia. I have been playing for 13 years for the team. I never behaved like that or provoked someone. I have always represented Bosnia in the best light. I wouldn’t want to present a wrong picture of myself”, he added.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward described how he tried to calm down the already agitated Musa and convince him to exhaust their chances to possibly win the match. But the youngster’s response was not exactly what he expected.
“I don’t want to say who is to blame or whether someone is guilty. We played our game for 38 minutes and then we lost. But at the end of the game we had an opportunity to get a result on seven or eight possessions. This is men’s basketball on a senior level. You have to try and calm your passions, you have to try to win. I said to Dzanan that everything is OK, urged him to calm down and told him that we’ve got some time to win the match. I am the captain of the national team and I’ve been here for 13 years. And he, the youngest player in the squad, begins cursing me and insulting me. It is simply impossible to continue after such an incident. But I am sorry I reacted the way I did. All I want to say is that such kind of things will never happen again, ever.”
Bosnia head coach Damir Mulaomerovic certainly put the blame for whole thing on Teletovic. “What happened was unacceptable. Even moreso because Teletovic is team captain. His behavior against Musa was inexcusable. I have already solved the problem.”
In a press conference held today, Teletovic mentioned that he understand Musa’s “internal struggles” and the way they might affect him.
“I love Musa. God willing, he will be the best basketball player that has ever come out of Bosnia.” The 17-year old forward is considered as a huge prospect and perhaps the best European baller in his age. “I also understand his struggles”, added Teletovic. “There is a lot of pressure on him by the media and he finds it difficult to manage defeats. It’s not easy when you are 17-year old and trying to fight in such a game. In regards to my behavior, I made a mistake and I admit it.”