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The day the coronary virus pandemic broke out, interrupting the basketball season, and hence the possibility of one of the most successful years in the recent history of Partizan, considering that the “steamroller” had won everything it could. winning by then (National Cup and ABA Super Cup) and was on the verge of the same epilogue in two more competitions (ABA League and Eurocup).
Nine months later, the president of BC Partizan, Ostoja Mijailović, in an interview with “Novosti”, talks about the consequences that such development has had, which are clearly reflected in the current season, as well as in many other current events.
Was there a chance that Andrea Trinkieri would still be the Partizan coach?
– When the season was interrupted, it was a depressing time for everyone at the club. Trinquieri has expressed his desire to lead the Euroleague club. I can’t say there was any blackmail on his part. It’s just that when someone wants to leave, you have no moral right to force them to stay. We broke up in good relations, he is a man who left a visible mark in less than two years of work at Partizan.
Do you think it was correct to appoint Vlado Scepanovic as coach?
– It was a natural move. Vlado is someone who learned the trade of coach from Trinquieri and someone who knows these players very well. It was not a moment of euphoria, as it is not now, given the situation in which we find ourselves. We had to reduce financial expenses because we have no income from ticket sales or new sponsors. The set of circumstances was such that he could not cope with the obligations that were entrusted to him and we had to react in a moment so that this season he did not go completely through the water.
IT IS AN HONOR TO HAVE A SALON IN BEIJING
WHAT exactly did Partizan get from cooperating with Chinese friends?
– They expressed their desire to use the Partizan brand, with adequate compensation on an annual basis. China is a friendly country to Serbia and we are honored to have a salon there. We want Partizan to be seen around the world. In one part, we have a certain economic interest, not too great for now, but without a doubt, seeing our room in Beijing is a great pleasure.
How did the election fall on Sasa Filipovski?
– It has not been easy to find a coach who can respond to the challenge of leading a club like Partizan, adapting to the current situation. There were various offers and negotiations. I accepted the proposal of the sports director and presented it to the Board of Directors, which unanimously voted to appoint Filipovski to the position of coach. A personal feeling that I had in the conversation with Sasha also decided on me. I am convinced that we made a great choice.
Should we expect reinforcements?
– Since I’ve been at the club, the incorporation of players has been done exclusively by the profession. If they express the wish that reinforcements are needed, we must find a solution to make that happen. On the other hand, I think we have great players, mostly the same ones from last season, but we must bear in mind that the additional burden of this season is the wrong decisions of some people in the profession to bring in some players who did not even play. , but overwhelmed. they are the budget for this year, so we did not have the space to adequately strengthen ourselves.
How determined are you to endure this way of functioning? Is it a very unusual phenomenon in Serbia that the administration does not interfere with the profession?
– First of all, I am obliged to protect this club so that it does not operate in accordance with the law and finances. In 2017 we paid seven coaches (Vujosevic, Nikolic, Dzikic, Bozic, Jovanovic, Gasic and finally Canak …), whose total obligation was around one million euros. Today, they have all been paid, only Dusko Vujosevic has about 25 percent of his obligations left. The reason I am dealing with this, and not interfering with the selection of players, is that I would not leave three million euros of debt to former players who come to this place tomorrow. It is true that in the eyes of the fans it would be bigger if I brought expensive reinforcements and behaved wastefully, but I cannot function like that because I have companies behind me that operate in the market and it is not normal for me to leave behind the claims of seven coaches.
SOME CLUBS WERE AGAINST THE ABA LEAGUE
Do you think it is in anyone’s interest if there is no regional league?
– The ABA league passed a serious test this year. There were almost 90% of clubs for the survival of the competition, and I am sure there were clubs that did not suit them, hoping that the eventual dissolution of the League would open up the possibility of playing in the Euroleague. However, most want a league like this that has great value.
How much did you have to cut your budget for this season?
– The big problem is that we signed contracts with most of the players last year and therefore we could not have much influence in that financial aspect. Where we were able to make corrections, we did. We agreed with the club employees on a salary reduction. I want to thank these people, because they helped us get through this period with as little damage as possible.
Why did you allow FMP to participate in the ABA League?
– Because all our demands have been met. FMP, which was not in line for that, does not preside over the League. Later, Zoran Tošković, Filip Čović’s father-in-law, was removed from the position of club president because there is a conflict of interest and the transformation of the company into a limited liability company is underway, so there were no obstacles to signing. At the same time, all the clubs agreed that the CAS (Lausanne Court of Arbitration for Sport) should be part of the new social contract.
Partizan has been looking forward to a training room in Belgrade since 2010. However, he got it in Beijing a few months ago with the help of fans and friends from the China club. Do you think the Partizan is respected enough in your country?
– It is just proof that Partizan is one of the most important sports brands in Serbia. I think our basketball club is one that should have its own property and gym. We can’t do that right now. I am not someone who can answer the question whether the Partizan is sufficiently respected in your country. The help we have from the state is excellent and arrives on time. Do we need more help? We have. But we have to be realistic that the state invests a lot in sports and helps a lot. We signed a five-year contract with “Arena”, and the plan was to fill the room and with that income, which can only exceed two million euros from ticket sales, build our room. I should point out that last season, before the break, we made about a million euros from tickets alone. We won 10 million dinars just for the game against Unix, which was not played, and I have to thank all those people who did not ask for a refund.
It seems that basketball in the Adriatic does not have a bright future in the Euroleague. So why did you decide to compete under their auspices, instead of FIBA?
– Unfortunately, we as a region have lost the battle for our basketball position due to personal conflicts. If the management in the time of Dusko Vujosevic had dealt with economic and marketing issues, and according to the results that were obtained then, Partizan today would be one of the strongest clubs in Europe in all segments. It was a tough decision because we thought we belonged there more than Zenit, but the only reason we didn’t get a wild card was: money. Unfortunately, we are not a profitable market. However, I believe that Partizan has a place alongside the best in Europe and we should not be the balance that will be broken between the Euroleague and FIBA. Financially, it would have been much better if we had turned to FIBA, but that would have closed off some other possibilities for us.
PETRUSHEV AND THE FATHER
FILIP Petrušev dominates the ABA league with the Mega jersey. There is information that he was on the doorstep of Partizan this summer. Why did it fail?
– First of all, I am glad that Filip Petrushev is partisan. We were in communication with him, but his father simply made the decision and was explicit that Philip went to Meg because he thought he would get more attention there than here.
In the end, how do you see the current results?
– First of all, I hope we survive this season and enter the next with as little damage as possible. In addition, we will try to win the maximum number of trophies and return to where we belong. The season is very specific also because the club drew the greatest strength from its fans, which are gone. As for the ABA league, we no longer have the right to be wrong. We are not going to give up, we are going to fight for all the games, but the fact is that we lost six or seven games unhappily, with only one ball, and I think it will come back to us in the second half. We played the Euro quite well. I think we are in the Top 16 phase with teams a little easier, but it certainly won’t be easy and we have to fight to the last atom of strength.
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