Serbs who support Croatia at WC “psychopaths”, SNS official

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

Some Serbs, including the country's best tennis player ever Novak Djokovic, who supported Croatia's national team against Russia, were publicly insulted by some politicians and media who called them “idiots” and psychopaths”.

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic said that he could only watch the second half because he was on a business trip, but said he had to mute his TV set due to “(state television) RTS pro-Croatia comments.”

“Even before the game, I said that they (Croats) have a better team, but that I will support Russia. And if such a game happens a 1,000 times again, I would support Russia. That’s my right. Serbia is a democratic society, and everyone has the right to support who they want,” Vucic said.

However, his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) official sent this message from his holiday in Greece: “I’ll repeat this – whoever supports Croatia against the Russian Federation tonight is a psychopath and lunatic, ready for a nuthouse.”

Reacting to Djokovic’s saying “Let’s go Vatreni (the Fiery ones, a local nickname for Croatia’s national team), Vladimir Djukanovic, an SNS MP, additionally called the player “an idiot.”

The editor-in-chief of the Informer tabloid, close to Vucic and SNS, asked “where Djokovic’s logic comes from? What are our debts to the Croats?”

“Every Serb who supports Croatia against the mother Russia is a fool. And doesn’t deserve anything more. Full stop,” Dragan J. Vucicevic wrote.

Djokovic answers the accusations saying that “there are sports values which we all grow up with. Of course, people differently look at them, because of an impact of the environment you are brought in, your working milieu, it is also influenced by people you are surrounded and supported by, your education…”

One of the most famous Serbia’s sports commentator Milojko Pantic also came under attack for telling a Croatian television ahead of the game that “civilised Serbia will support Croatia, while ultra-nationalists and chauvinists dream that Russia wins.”

Some media accused him of offending the nation.

Pantic told N1 that he did not insult the nation, “but seems that ultra-nationalists in power consider themselves the nation.”