From Bad to Worse at Red Star

Last weekend Nebojša Trajković, a plainclothes cop, was the victim of a horrific attack in the stands at halftime of a Red Star Belgrade home match. Later that week, four team officials, including club secretary general Zoran Damjanović, were arrested, though at the time it was unclear from news reports if it was due to possible involvement in the violence, or because of suspected transfer irregularities and financial wrongdoings.

Now, there’s been a hearing, and the four look to be spending at least the next month in detention (oh, how soft and cozy the English justice system looks from their perspective).

It’s being reported today that the four men — in addition to Damjanović, the other three are director of stadium Miodrag Ćorović, security commissioner Novica MijuÅ¡ković, and Rade Popović, who was the Serbian Football Association rep at the Red Star ground during the violence — will be held for 30 days while an official investigation takes place. According to the Serbian media, the investigation is concerned with both the attack on Trajković and with the club’s “financial dealings,” though Red Star, of course, deny there’s anything going on that’s not strictly above board.

Rather alarmingly, the reason the four are being detained is because of fears that, if released, they “could influence witnesses and repeat the criminal offense.” Yikes. Of course, since the alleged “criminal offense” is, in part, the failure to enforce laws against sporting violence, it’s unlikely that further violence at the ground will lead to the police letting the quartet go with a handshake an apology. That said, though, we’ll see what happens to the seriousness of the investigation as the incident fades from the public eye — a cynic might say those handshakes and apologies will end up coming anyway.

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Category: Europe, World Football

Tags: arrests, Europe, Red Star Belgrade, Serbia, violence, World Football, Zoran Damjanović

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