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Belgrade Derby Opens With Tribute to War Criminal Mladic
(MENAFN) A minute of silence for the late convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic opened Sunday's Serbian Super League derby between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, drawing renewed controversy.
Crvena Zvezda supporters unveiled a large banner featuring Mladic during the tribute, while fans from both clubs chanted his name. The gesture preceded the 180th edition of the "Eternal Derby," staged at Crvena Zvezda's Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade.
According to Serbian media reports, the stadium announcer closed out the moment of silence by declaring, "May eternal glory be his."
On the pitch, Crvena Zvezda went on to defeat Partizan 2-1.
The tribute came just two days after UEFA, European football's governing body, fined Crvena Zvezda €90,000 ($104,523) over supporters' chants and displays honoring Mladic during the club's Europa League playoff match against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic on Aug. 27. UEFA also barred the club from selling tickets to its supporters for its next away fixture in European competition, citing charges that included racist or discriminatory behavior and transmitting a message unfit for a sports event.
During the Plzen match, Crvena Zvezda fans had chanted Mladic's name, offered salutes in his honor, and displayed a banner reading "General, eternal glory and thanks." The club later posted an image of that banner on its own social media accounts.
Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was convicted for atrocities committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, including genocide tied to his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed — a massacre that international courts have formally recognized as genocide.
This is not the first time Crvena Zvezda supporters have honored Mladic, nor the first time it has triggered UEFA discipline. In 2017, fans displayed a banner and chanted his name during a Europa League match against BATE Borisov, shortly after Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment by the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. UEFA responded by ordering the club to play a home match behind closed doors and imposing a €50,000 fine. On appeal, the fine was later reduced to €30,000 and the stadium ban suspended under a two-year probationary period.
Mladic's burial was scheduled for Monday at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade.
Crvena Zvezda supporters unveiled a large banner featuring Mladic during the tribute, while fans from both clubs chanted his name. The gesture preceded the 180th edition of the "Eternal Derby," staged at Crvena Zvezda's Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade.
According to Serbian media reports, the stadium announcer closed out the moment of silence by declaring, "May eternal glory be his."
On the pitch, Crvena Zvezda went on to defeat Partizan 2-1.
The tribute came just two days after UEFA, European football's governing body, fined Crvena Zvezda €90,000 ($104,523) over supporters' chants and displays honoring Mladic during the club's Europa League playoff match against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic on Aug. 27. UEFA also barred the club from selling tickets to its supporters for its next away fixture in European competition, citing charges that included racist or discriminatory behavior and transmitting a message unfit for a sports event.
During the Plzen match, Crvena Zvezda fans had chanted Mladic's name, offered salutes in his honor, and displayed a banner reading "General, eternal glory and thanks." The club later posted an image of that banner on its own social media accounts.
Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at age 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was convicted for atrocities committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, including genocide tied to his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed — a massacre that international courts have formally recognized as genocide.
This is not the first time Crvena Zvezda supporters have honored Mladic, nor the first time it has triggered UEFA discipline. In 2017, fans displayed a banner and chanted his name during a Europa League match against BATE Borisov, shortly after Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment by the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. UEFA responded by ordering the club to play a home match behind closed doors and imposing a €50,000 fine. On appeal, the fine was later reduced to €30,000 and the stadium ban suspended under a two-year probationary period.
Mladic's burial was scheduled for Monday at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade.
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