Crnogorac: We are far from reconciliation; the stands are platforms for sending political messages

The president of the Union of Serbian Associations of Croatia from Vukovar, Dragan Crnogorac, says that the events at the Croatia-Albania match, as well as other matches of the European Football Championship where teams from the Western Balkans played, reflect and indicate that passions in the region have not calmed and that sports events are still platforms for sending and abusing political messages.

“This has been ongoing. I would say since the abandoned match on May 13, 1991, between Dinamo and Red Star in Zagreb. We know what has been happening since then, and it continues year after year, not only on football stadiums but also on some other sports fields,” Crnogorac says.

He adds that he is not surprised by the chanting of “Kill the Serb” during the Croatia-Albania match because such messages have become normal at most sports events in this country.

“In Croatia, unfortunately, sport is not viewed only through a sports lens but also through a political lens, and very clear political, direct messages are sent. Very often, you can see that these messages are directed against Serbs. They mostly manifest in certain events and people, and recently, absolutely and especially against Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic,” Crnogorac says.

According to him, the messages heard from the stands should also be interpreted as clear political messages.

“It probably becomes in a way a tested platform for sending political messages, clear political messages, because all of us here in this region love sports, love to watch sports events, and then they are used in a very ugly way. What we most often see here in Croatia is that there are no messages of apology, distancing from those messages or from those fans. We actually have a situation where those fans act as the extended arm of politicians,” Crnogorac told Kosovo Online.

He adds that the solution for the region would be to adopt more restrictive laws, but emphasizes that there is no political will for that.

“Sports events are being abused, and they are often, I would say, a good way to wash hands and say: ‘We didn’t say that, a group of fans said that.’ And it remains at that, there is no one to blame. We will have a hard time getting out of these situations. To get out, strict, harsh laws need to be enacted in all the countries in the region. However, we see that there is no political will for that,” Crnogorac concludes.