Bring in Koroman as a demo exercise – Sport

Criticisms of the system from the position of an ordinary citizen are not welcome, and what happened to former footballer Ognjen Koroman is, in the opinion of lawyers, a warning to all who would dare to say that Serbian football is not good, that Slavisa Kokeza or Zvezdan Terzic may not do their job well. that Aleksandar Vučić is an absolutist or that all state posts and all jobs are supposedly reserved only for members of one party.

The former member of the Serbian national team and former Red Star player was detained at the Mali Zvornik border crossing with Bosnia and Herzegovina for almost five hours on Sunday so that members of the UBPOK (Criminal Intelligence Service and Undercover Investigators of the Interior Ministry from Serbia) could pick it up.

He was then taken to Belgrade for questioning, since he was released late at night.

In the opinion of the attorneys we spoke to, a clear message was sent to Koroman.

If you don’t have a “back”, any kind of protection, be it political, mobster or state, don’t advertise.

And what did Ognjen Koroman really do?

He dared to criticize the work of the president of the Serbian Football Association, the director general of Red Star, and even to say that the company is in big trouble due to employment in the match, claiming that he cannot get a proper compromise. as a coach.

He stated that “in Serbia football is played only for bookmakers” and that “referees are sent to the matches to judge with the task of promoting certain clubs.”

After the first public criticism, he experienced an “outbreak of fire” from the media close to the ruling structures, and even the one who did not even mention it attacked him, the director of the Zvezda Youth School Dragan Mladenović, claiming that Koroman “He spits on Zvezda and receives a salary for six years.” in that club. “

The paradox is that everything Koroman has said on social media and in the media is not news to those who constantly follow the events of Serbian football.

The Danas newspaper wrote a year ago that there is a suspicion that certain referees are deliberately making mistakes in favor of certain teams.

Former soccer referees even declared in statements for our newspaper that the most suspicious decisions were the referees: Bojan Nikolić, Novica Andjelovski, Zoran Široki, Petar Piper …

Koroman did not even delve into specific names in his claims that matches in Serbian soccer are being rigged, and said nothing about national soccer leaders that they themselves have not heard from themselves.

However, Koroman has something that most critics don’t.

As a mangup, he used to discuss all problems without a hair on the tongue since his days in football, and with his charismatic attitude he also caught the attention of the media, who by vocation have the task of defending the leaders of the Serbian football of any criticism.

It should not be noted that his words as a former member of the national team carry a special weight, similar to when Nemanja Vidic or Nemanja Matic are announced.

Lawyer Vladimir Gajić has no dilemma that Ognjen Koroman suffered “harassment” when he was detained on the border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina with his son.

– The police cannot detain a citizen for more than four hours. From what I see in the media, he waited about five hours at the border, and then a few more hours while they were taking him to Belgrade, which is absolutely illegal. You must report the MUP agents for illegal detention for more than four hours. After four hours of detention, the Ministry of the Interior must at any time make a decision on the basis of when it may detain him for another 48 hours, that is, deprive him of his liberty or release him immediately. What he experienced was a violation of basic civil rights in both the Constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure. The policemen who prepared it should at least be disciplined – explains Gajić for Danas.

When asked why the ex-footballer was questioned when he raised suspicions of corruption and crime, and the same was not done with, for example, opposition politicians such as Marinika Tepic or Miroslav Aleksic, who have been pointing this out much longer than Koroman , Gajic replied:

– From this we could conclude that only those who are actively involved in politics seem to have permission to criticize the government, and the same is not allowed for those who get involved in sports and other citizens. All problems, even this one, can be seen from the point of view of the fact that Serbia is not a state governed by the rule of law, which is based on the rule of law, otherwise something like this could not happen. If the police had any reason to question you, they could have sent you a subpoena with a date to which you would be required to respond. outside the law – says Gajić.

Božo Prelević, lawyer and former police commissioner, points out that Koroman is an “easy target” for the government because he is not politically active, and he dared to criticize from the position of common citizen what is wrong not only in national football but also for society as a whole.

– Unfortunately, what he experienced is standard procedure regarding enemies of the state, and he was treated exactly like that. Marinika Tepic, for example, is a member of a political party and, from the outside, the arrest of someone who is politically active and points to corruption would not be welcomed. If Ognjen Koroman doesn’t want “special treatment”, he should become a member of a political party, ideally Shapic’s party or something similar. Then he would surely cross the border without problems. He was, in fact, a good example, and unfortunately he experienced what all those who dare to point a finger at the heart of the problem are going through. Just remember what happened, and still happens, our most prominent cardiac surgeon Boško Đukanović (fired due to criticism from the authorities of the position of director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases “Dedinje” and has been leading a lawsuit against the Minister of Health Zlatibor Lončar for four years). jeopardize safety – ed.). It is obvious that even the critics are annoyed by saying that Kokeza is essentially incapable of anything and that something is not regular in Serbian football. Not to mention that no one will dare to enter into a controversy with him, so that it can be seen publicly whether what Ognjen Koroman says is true or a lie – says Prelević.

The essence of the problem in Ognjen Koroman’s case lies in the fact that only the media have been in his defense for now, and Prelević believes his former teammates should do the same.

– I think the soccer championship is practically organized by the bookmakers. Some of my clients are also from that business and I would not say that Ognjen Koroman’s opinion is very different from theirs, and the only difference is that he presented it publicly. To be realistic, the duration of each, including these authorities, is determined by the citizens. And as long as the citizens have fun with funny SMS messages and think that it is enough and that that is all the responsibility that they can give to this country, they will play in the middle of Serbia. We wanted to play deli, so here they are: playing. It is not about what Ognjen Koroman said, but that his former teammates think the same, but they left their hearts in their wallets, rather than on the field. That’s why it is not worth thinking about – concludes Prelević.

Let Nemanja Vidic prepare

Lawyer Vladimir Gajić claims that what happened to Ognjen Koroman is a warning to everyone else who would face possible criticism of the government or the President of the Association.

– I guess what happened to Koroman should also be a warning to Nemanja Vidic. Like Koroman, he criticized Kokeza and the Alliance. I think I should be careful not to be next when I am in the country and not pass like Koroman – Gajić points out.

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