President of the Basketball Association of Serbia Nebojsa Covic he stated that after arriving Željko Obradović in KK Partizan, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, is standing, assessing that the balance of power in domestic basketball has significantly changed and the ladder has been additionally raised for both Partizan and Crvena Zvezda.
"We know who brought him. He was brought by Aleksandar Vučić, let's not lie," Cović said in a guest appearance on TV Prva.
Partizan: supporters of Obradović stormed the arena and insulted Vučić (video)
Commenting on the events during the match between Partizan and Bayern in the Euroleague, Čović described the atmosphere in the Belgrade Arena as "devastating" and "sick", stating that during the decades spent in basketball, he had not witnessed similar scenes.
"I've been in basketball for almost 60 years, I've never seen or experienced that. It was very ugly and devastating," Cović said.
"Irrevocable resignation" - the devil in words
He stated that in Partizan there was a kind of division among the fans and that part of them no longer support exclusively the club, but also the personality of the coach.
"At Partizan, we got fans who support Partizan and those who support Željko Obradović. That cannot work", said the president of KSS.
Although he pointed out that Obradović is a "big coaching name" and that he has done a lot for Partizan, Čović warned of the danger of creating a cult of personality in sports.
Željko's departure: How "an ancient dream" became a nightmare
"I've always advocated avoiding the cult of personality. It's very dangerous. When you lift someone up to the heavens, it's much harder to come down," he said.
Čović added that he believes that Obradović currently does not have complete control over the team, and that the problems in the club should be solved through an institutional framework, and not through personal or political interventions.
The statement of the president of KSS additionally opened up the issue of the relationship between politics and sports in Serbia, especially in the context of financing and management of the largest sports clubs, but also the role of the state leadership in key personnel decisions in domestic basketball.
