Basketball team refuses to hold 'Stop War' banner and get angry reaction from crowd
dailystar.co.ukUkraine - while their opponents distanced themselves to the boos of those in attendance. “Thank you, Lithuania!” Scherba tweeted. “Shame on you, ‘bratushki’!”On Monday, Red Star Belgrade justified their decision not to hold a banner in support of Ukraine before their EuroLeague clash.
They criticised the ‘politicisation of the players’ gesture’ before Sunday’s game. In a statement, the club confirmed that players were instructed not to hold up the banner due to the use of Ukrainian flag colours.
On Sunday, Serbian president Aleksandar Vucic won re-election and has close ties with Russia as he refuses to impose sanctions on Vladimir Putin. “In our official communications with the EuroLeague and the Zalgiris club management, we made it clear several days before the match that we will not allow any politicisation and that we will not carry a banner in colours of the flag of any country,” Red Star’s statement read.The team stressed that they must ‘follow the official position’ of Serbia on the war given they are a representative of their country.
Serbia has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations but has thus far refused to impose sanctions on Moscow. Do you think Red Star Belgrade should be punished for their stance?
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