In a society where the majority of citizens identify themselves as undisputed patriots and excellent connoisseurs of football, it would be completely inappropriate for a proven patriot and future coach, albeit a basketball coach, but also the best in the history of coaching, at the same time the current champion and two-time winner of the President's title, to remain silent on this year's most important football competition, the European Football Championship, in which Serbia - this is very convenient - is participating for the first time in history as an independent country. That's why the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vuฤiฤ, didn't spare an hour to show how important he is to the star-studded historical moments experienced by the popular "eagles".
TWELFTH PLAYER
In fact, Vuฤiฤ was already present for the national team in the qualifiers themselves, more precisely in the decisive match, when he was one of 7.325 spectators at the recently opened "Duboฤica" stadium in Leskovac, together with the President of the Republic of Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the President of the Football Association of Serbia, Dragan Dลพajiฤ ( according to UEFA data) who cheered Serbia to a historic draw (2:2) with Bulgaria.
That Vuฤiฤ's role in that game will be almost crucial was indicated to the public by the coach of the national team, Dragan Stojkoviฤ, who the day before the game pointed out that he would be glad if Vuฤiฤ came to watch the game because he believes that he will be an ardent fan. After all, just in case the cheering is not strong enough and the national team falters, Stojkoviฤ already had backup arguments ready and the knowledge of when to make a timely verbal tactical change.
"I think that the whole of Serbia is eagerly awaiting the placement at the EURO, of course the president too, after all he did a lot for us to be here", emphasized Stojkoviฤ. "Without political support, you can dream of 100 Maracanรฃs, but we wouldn't get them, we wouldn't build these stadiums either."
Fortunately, the national team advanced to the championship with a goal towards the end of the game, and Vuฤiฤ got the opportunity to see off the players, so the football team's journey to Germany began completely in Vuฤiฤ's style.
Clumsily imitating a middle-class man, modest and somewhat shy, with feigned modesty in front of the "accidentally" present cameras, Vuฤiฤ appeared on the plane of the Serbian national team wearing jeans, a polo shirt and a national team scarf around his neck. He regretfully put one fist in the other and gave a motivational speech to the football players, while Dragan Dลพajiฤ emerged shyly behind him.
Vuฤiฤ explained to the national team that in Serbia, except for him, of course, everyone is now silent and pretending that they don't expect anything from the "eagles", insinuating that "much more is expected of them than they themselves think is possible". In accordance with the recently adopted Declaration on the Protection of National and Political Rights and the Common Future of the Serbian People, he tried to give them a boost by announcing that the whole of Serbia and Republika Srpska will be with them at all times.
Not wanting his contribution to the eventual good matches of the national team to be forgotten, Vuฤiฤ embellished the video of that address on his account on social networks with the modest statement that the previous time he saw off the national football team before the decisive qualifying match for participation in the World Cup in Qatar and just recently , as if it had nothing to do with him, mentioned that the players of Serbia fought and won in that match.
Before the plane took off, Vucic told the football players that he could not tell them to go to the championship and participate, but told them to win, and that even if they lost, they would be welcomed as winners.
"FAN ACTION"
It cannot be said that the national team members did not listen to him. In the game with favored England, they very often seemed as if they were definitely winners, regardless of the result, but it turned out that it was not enough for a single point. Before that game in Gelsenkirchen, another member of the Vuฤiฤ family, not so inspiringly, but in a very media-covered and propaganda-convincing way, participated in raising national pride and "fan" support for the national team.
The German media, referring to the media from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, reported that the son of the President of Serbia, Danilo, wanted to intervene in the fight between the fans in Gelsenkirchen before the match between Serbia and England, and the comments on social networks were traditionally divided: some scolded him, while others praised Danilo Vuฤiฤ's courage and pointed out that they too would have stood up to protect the fans of Serbia, if only they had been in his place.
The videos are not of sufficient quality to fully substantiate such claims, but for people with a solid home upbringing, it is enough that the very suspicion that the president's son participated in the hooligan rampage is based on the earlier, documented "fan activities" of Danilo Vuฤiฤ.
It didn't take long for the public to realize that Danilo Vuฤiฤ had a notable "supporter" role when he was photographed in the stands at the World Cup in Russia in 2018 in the company of people connected to the Veljko Belivuk clan and who were convicted of serious crimes.
Evil tongues even noted that several people who prevented Danilo Vuฤiฤ from interfering were actually members of "Cobra", a special military unit that can often be seen accompanying high-ranking officials and their families.
The corrupt ones interpreted that Danilo Vuฤiฤ, if he is really in that video, does not actually want to participate in the fight, but that, knowing that the special forces will certainly not allow him to be beaten as a protected person, he is only simulating that he is eager for a confrontation, and in fact, he begs God to stay as far away from the confrontation as possible. Much like when his father, during guest appearances on RTS, Pink or Happy, uncompromisingly deals with the enemies of Serbia, addressing them directly, in the second person plural, even though none of them are anywhere in sight.
APPRECIATING THE WISDOM OF THE PRESIDENT
But all that aside. If everything does not end as planned at the European Championship, the investments in domestic football are so large, at least according to what the government says, that the sports public should rightfully expect significant gains soon. And that is thanks to President Vuฤiฤ, thanks to whom, in addition to the already mentioned stadium in Leskovac, new stadiums in Zajeฤar and Loznica were opened last year, which Vuฤiฤ himself, in a burst of not very innovative inspiration, called the "three beauties".
It is clear, however, that their beauty will be overshadowed in many ways when the national stadium is opened on December 1, 2026, as promised by Vuฤiฤ himself. And Vuฤiฤ tied the magic of the number three to him, pompously announcing that that stadium will be among the three most beautiful in Europe, with 52.000 seats and according to all UEFA standards, on a complex of 121 hectares, and all of that, with his wisdom, packed into a project of projects - Expo 2027.
In order to emphasize for the umpteenth time that he does not like autocratic methods, that he may even be disgusted by them and that democracy is close to his heart, Vuฤiฤ generously promised that the name of the national stadium will be decided by the citizens of Serbia, just like in the elections.
"We will let the people choose the name. If people vote, they are smarter," said Vuฤiฤ.
All that incredible elan and work has not gone unnoticed among the citizens of Serbia in any election game since 2012, which Vuฤiฤ regularly wins thanks to the fact that, being smarter, he allowed people to vote. There are, of course, those who believe that he plays by his own rules: forever offside, but without a linesman to signal it, and with three players less in the opposing political team, two due to red cards and one due to a broken leg. And he fills the opponent's nets, with stands full of crazy fans.
That's why you shouldn't be surprised by the recently spoken words of Dragan Dลพajiฤ that "we should be honored that the first man of Serbia, the president, is interested in football. And not only for football, but for all sports".
With this, Dลพajiฤ, perhaps unconsciously, wanted to underline that with the multidisciplinary, great man Vuฤiฤ, there are no small sports or small disciplines. That's why he pointed out that stories about the interference of politics in sports are exaggerated, and as proof of that he asked the question: "Would Serbia have won a national championship if Vuฤiฤ was not the president?"
