Indigenous counter with an undertone of xenophobia: The public speech of foreigners in Serbian sports is not an opinion of a lower order, but it is not exempt from local reaction either – Sport

Milojević believes that Dudić, as a foreigner, must not talk about an “institution” like Zvezda, and then he added that someone who came to Serbia to work, live and earn money must be careful what he says.

Just a day before, the former player of Red Star Dragiša Binić characterized the statements of Bibars Nath, an Israeli who plays for Partizan, in which he criticized the refereeing at the 173rd eternal derby, as slandering Serbia.

– You are a foreigner here, you play by our rules, if you don’t like it… – said Binić.

Former football referee Rade Đurović believes that Milojević and Binić may have expressed themselves awkwardly, but that their statements are xenophobic.

– This emphasis that someone is a foreigner can be interpreted as if that person has less right to speak than if he were a citizen of Serbia. I wonder if the statements of Dudić and Nath would be acceptable if they were Serbs? Emphasizing that someone is a foreigner, receives a salary here and therefore should respect “our rules” is a very dangerous precedent and represents a form of xenophobia – says Đurović.

He adds that the Red Star coach must be aware of the weight of his statements and responsibility for what he says.

– Natho and Dudić pay taxes to this state, like all of us. I will not go into the justification of what they said and anyone who is engaged in public work can be criticized, but being a foreigner should not be an argument for criticism. I don’t believe that Milojević and Binić had bad intentions, but I don’t think they understand the gravity of what they said. Especially Milojević, who must understand that his words, as the coach of Red Star, have a special importance and responsibility – says the former judge.

Mirko Poledica, president of the Nezavisnost Professional Footballers’ Union, believes that the statements of Dudić and Milojević are the result of a misunderstanding.

– I would say that both of them made clumsy statements, but I agree that foreign players and coaches should be very careful when communicating with the media. I do not know Dudić personally, but I have heard that he is very correct, and I claim that Milojević is also such a person. Everyone should have their own attitude and opinion, however, it is best for coaches and football players to deal with their work. Their responsibility is great and they are constantly under public scrutiny. I was a player abroad and I know that every statement is measured twice and in that sense you should be careful – says Poledica.

The President of the Union of Professional Footballers notes that there have been racist outbursts before, but that generally foreign players and coaches are satisfied with their stay in Serbia.

– Some of them are union members in their home countries and we are at their service, we are in contact and they often call us. They have a good time here, they are very satisfied, because we are still a warm and hospitable people. Many people had prejudices before coming to Serbia, but when they get to know us, they usually like us – explains Poledica.

Sports journalist Zoran Šećerov says that he is sorry that Dudić’s statement was met with such a reaction from Milojević, because, as he claims, the two marked the football spring in Serbia.

– I know both of them, they are correct people and I don’t understand why they deal with non-football matters. I believe that they made statements in an affect and that it was not a question of evil intent, and in the end the fly became an elephant. Dudić did a great job in Radnički, but at the end of the season, unfortunately, he will leave Serbian football and we should ask ourselves why we don’t have such a young and talented expert in Serbia – says Šećerov.