Белградын хоёр том баг болох Црвена Звезда болон Партизан хоорондын тоглолтын өмнө Ратко Младичийн дурсгалыг хүндэтгэсэн нь олон улсын шүүмжлэлийг дагуулав.
Сербийн хөлбөмбөгийн хамгийн том өрсөлдөөн болох “Мөнхийн дерби”-д Црвена Звезда 2-1-ийн харьцаатай ялалт байгууллаа. Гэвч тоглолтын өмнөх нэг минутын хүндэтгэлийн үеэр Црвена Звезда-гийн хөгжөөн дэмжигчид дайны гэмт хэрэгтэн Ратко Младичийг дүрсэлсэн том хэмжээний зурагт хуудас дэлгэж, хоёр талын дэмжигчид түүний нэрийг уриалан дуудсан байна. Тус клуб өөрийн албан ёсны цахим хуудсаараа дамжуулан энэхүү үйл явдлыг дэмжсэн агуулгатай бичлэг болон зураг нийтэлжээ.
Ратко Младич нь Балканы дайны үеэр үйлдсэн геноцид, хүн төрөлхтний эсрэг гэмт хэргүүдийн улмаас бүх насаараа хоригдох ял эдэлж байгаад наймдугаар сарын 27-нд нас барсан юм. Түүнийг нас барсны дараа Црвена Звезда Европын лигийн хүрээнд Виктория Плзень багтай хийсэн тоглолтын үеэр мөн хүндэтгэл үзүүлж байсан бөгөөд үүний улмаас УЕФА-гаас 98,250 еврогийн торгууль ногдуулж, дараагийн айлын талбайд хийх Европын тэмцээний тоглолтод хөгжөөн дэмжигчдээ оруулахгүй байх шийтгэл оногдуулсан байна.
Сребреницагийн дурсгалын төвөөс энэхүү үйлдлийг эрс буруушааж, хөлбөмбөгийн клуб албан ёсны сувгаараа дамжуулан гэмт хэрэгтнийг сурталчлах нь УЕФА-гийн баримталдаг үнэт зүйлстэй зөрчилдөж байгааг мэдэгдлээ. Црвена Звезда болон Партизан багуудын цэнгэлдэх хүрээлэнгийн ойр орчимд цэргийн техник, тэр дундаа танк байршуулсан байдаг нь тэдний цэргийн байгууллагатай холбоотой байдгийг илэрхийлдэг. Уг асуудалтай холбогдуулан АНУ-ын сенаторууд болон конгрессын гишүүд Ратко Младичийн оршуулгын ёслолыг төрийн болон цэргийн хүндэтгэлтэйгээр зохион байгуулж буйд сэтгэл түгшиж буйгаа илэрхийлэн хамтарсан мэдэгдэл гаргасан юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The Eternal Derby, the biggest game in Serbian football played between Belgrade neighbours Crvena Zvezda and Partizan, was overshadowed on Sunday after tributes were paid to the war criminal Ratko Mladic.
Supporters of Crvena Zvezda, also known as Red Star Belgrade — the most successful club in the Balkans, having won the European Cup in 1991 — displayed a giant tifo of Mladic as a minute of silence was being observed ahead of the game.
Mladic, known as the Butcher of Bosnia, was serving a life sentence for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Balkan wars and died last month in custody at the United Nations Detention Unit in The Hague. His funeral was held in Belgrade on Monday, with thousands turning out on the capital’s streets.
But why does Mladic retain such a revered status among Crvena Zvezda and Partizan supporters? And will there be any fallout?
What happened in Belgrade?
On the eve of Mladic’s funeral, fans of Crvena Zvezda chose to mark his death with a huge display behind one goal. It depicted the former Bosnian Serb general pointing, against the backdrop of a Serbian flag.
Below the image were the words “Direction Potocari”, a reference to the orders of Mladic in 1995 ahead of his soldiers entering Srebrenica to begin massacring Bosniak Muslim refugees gathered there. More than 8,000 people — the vast majority men and teenage boys — were killed and buried in mass graves.
Mladic, who spent a decade in hiding, was eventually arrested in 2011 and convicted at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2017. He was serving a life sentence, with the presiding judge in his trial, Alphons Orie, saying his actions were “among the most heinous known to humankind.”
Mladic died at the age of 84 on August 27 after suffering a number of strokes in prison and his passing has reignited tensions in the Balkans region. He remains a popular figure among Serbian nationalists, whose presence is felt among the ultras of several major football teams.
Both Crvena Zvezda and Partizan lean into their links to the military. A tank is permanently positioned outside Crvena Zvezda’s Rajko Mitic Stadium, directly in front of the turnstile used by the Delije, the club’s notorious ultras group.
A tank is stationed outside Crvena Zvezda’s stadium in Belgrade (Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
Those fans found common ground with rivals from Partizan ahead of their latest meeting on Sunday when both could be heard chanting Mladic’s name. The game ended in a 2-1 win for Crvena Zvezda, who posted a video of the minute’s silence on X with an emoji giving a salute.
The same official account followed that up on Monday by posting a picture of a mural depicting Mladic’s army beret at the same time the funeral was taking place. A long procession of mourners lined the streets of Belgrade, including members of the Serbian army. Free travel had been offered to anyone wishing to travel from towns around Serbia to mark Mladic’s passing.
There have been multiple international calls for Mladic’s death not to be glorified. U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Chuck Grassley and Congressman Keith Self issued a joint statement over the weekend urging for Mladic not to be celebrated in Serbia. They said it was “deeply troubling” that Mladic was to be buried with state and military honours.
Is there a history of this?
This is not the first time that Crvena Zvezda fans have glorified Mladic’s death.
Their Europa League game away to Czech opponents Viktoria Plzen on August 27, the day of Mladic’s passing, saw banners displayed that read: “General, eternal glory and thanks.” Mladic’s name was also chanted during the match, with the club’s social media accounts posting images of the display.
A UEFA investigation was launched the following day and disciplinary action was announced on Friday. Crvena Zvezda were found to have transmitted “a message not fit for a sports event”, on top of their “racist and/or discriminatory behaviour.”
Fines totalling €98,250 were given to Crvena Zvezda, who are also unable to sell tickets for their next away match in Europe, against Swiss team Lugano in the Conference League on October 15.
UEFA, though, have no disciplinary powers to take action against Crvena Zvezda for Sunday’s display at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade. That responsibility would fall on the Serbian FA. The Athletic has contacted it for comment.
Crvena Zvezda fans hold up a flag honouring Mladic in 2012 (Andrej Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images)
What has the reaction been?
Two social media posts, each appearing to salute Mladic, would indicate that Crvena Zvezda stand by the decision to have a minute’s silence but there is ongoing disappointment from the Srebrenica Memorial Center, which commemorates the 1995 genocide.
It condemned the actions of Crvena Zvezda fans last month, urging UEFA to act. A statement, covered in the Bosnian media and verified by The Athletic, said: “A club that consciously uses its official communication channels to spread messages glorifying a man legally convicted of genocide cannot reduce such behavior to the behavior of fans.”
It added: “This is no longer just a question of the fans, but of the club’s institutional relationship to the values on which UEFA bases European football.”
The Srebrenica Memorial Center was contacted for further comment on this latest episode.The Athletic also contactedCrvena Zvezda.
