By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Zeljko Obradovic was interviewed by the Serbian magazine Nedeljnik and was rather strict with his compatriots, while he also highlighted the approval he’s been getting from the fans of Olympiacos, as a comparison of the treatment he’s been receiving in his home country.
The coach was involved in a verbal attack incident during Fenerbahce’s recent game against Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade.
He particularly mentioned: “Even when I was in Partizan, I tried to admonish the fans when they verbally attacked someone. I have friends who are fans of Crvena Zvezda and I received many messages of apology from them for what had happened. I’ve worked in Panathinaikos, who’s a big rival of Olympiacos. Still, many fans of the latter club had been approaching me, asking me to take a photo together. They recognize a few things about my work and I’ve never said anything bad about them.”
At the same time, Obradovic says he is displeased with how the Serbian fans treat him after the failure in the 2005 Eurobasket. “When I was winning medals with the National Team, I was ‘their’ coach, Zeljko Obradovic. Then, I was the coach of Real, Badalona, Benetton… And after 2005, I became ‘coach Obradovic’. Sometimes I look at my passport to check whether I’m really Serbian.”
Photo: Igor Pavicevic
