By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Rivalries in European basketball are intense and after Crvena Zvezda‘s win in Game 4 of the ABA League Finals, Partizan’s coach Zeljko Obradovic talked about the current situation between his club and Zvezda, cross-town rivals in Belgrade, making a direct comparison with the NBA.
“You asked me in our home gym if I heard chants, and now I’m going to ask you if you hear this tonight,” Obradovic asked the journalists in the press conference and then made his point.
As the winningest EuroLeague coach explained: “Fifteen days ago, I watched the NBA Finals with our Nikola Jokićc whom we all admire, but right after that game, I came across a match from 1988, where Red Star and Partizan were playing. I was a player in that match. The stands were full, and half the fans supported Partizan, half Zvezda. The chants were about Belgrade winning the title. How did we get to this? What is this in 2023? Do we have any experts who can explain?”
Compared to last year, when tension was even higher, so far things are relatively tame on the surface, but Obradovic talked about the mentality of the fans: “On our way to the game today, we have seen a child with his parents. As we were passing by, he spits on the bus, shows the middle finger and the mother laughs. Who is sowing this hatred? That is the question of all questions”.
With Game 5 scheduled to be played on Thursday at Partizan’s home court and the series tied at 2-2, Obradovic hopes that the finals will end on a different tone and speaking about the fans of his team he added: “I’m begging, I’m asking them to cheer fairly and with sporting spirit. The players of both Partizan and Crvena Zvezda deserve that. I hope we will talk after the game. I hope whoever plays better basketball, without the influence of any external factors. I beg the fans to cheer fairly so that every player and member of the coaching staff of Crvena Zvezda feels safe. These players when the season is over will have to think about whether they should stay and play here. With us! With the way we are! This is a key question and one you should all ask yourself. I ask myself the same question when I watch the video. We are friends with Zvezda’s players. Zvezda’s fans, who are my friends, called me after the match to apologize because of what happened. Maybe I should apologize for some things too. I pray to God for this, I beg Partizan fans to behave. I think we deserve a final where we will only talk about basketball. Do you realize the quality of basketball we have here? Will these players want to stay here next season if we behave like this?'”