In case anyone has forgotten when and how it all began, the conflict in Humska Street occurred when the management of Partizan FC decided to replace sports director Mladen Krstajic and one of the most favorite coaches in club history Aleksandar Stanojevic.
The removal was preceded by the public address of the of President of Partizan FC Dragan Djuric in which he accredited to himself all successes of his professional staff and attributed the failures to the coach and sports director. It would be more accurate to say that the conflict between the management and the sports body, which has been building up for a long time, escalated when Krstajic and Stanojevic responded to the allegations.
Due to the apparently unanimous support, the current management led by president Dragan Djuric presented last week’s regular assembly of The Black and Whites as a triumph. If everything was indeed so unanimous, what is the reason for hysteria and widespread shouting at the businessman Miroslav Bogicevic, an opposition candidate for the president of Serbian champion?
A neutral observer could be gullibly wondering what is the case for such resistance to new people, to the very thought of giving someone a chance to be an opponent, to present his plan and program, and to participate in honest and fair competition. This could be the simplest way to resolve a painful situation in the camp of Partizan.
Encouraged by the insults against the opponents whose representatives did not even attend the club meeting, Djuric became assured that he has solved the problem by suddenly putting to the vote the confidence in himself and in the Steering Committee. Out of 48 attendees, some voted while others did not at all raise their hand. Votes were not even counted when the president triumphantly made the decision – unanimous support. The fact that people like Savo Milosevic, Ljubisa Tumbakovic, Rasim Ljajic and supporters’ representatives did not vote, was not taken into account.
The absence of absolute support to Djuric was confirmed by the absence of a large number of former players at the assembly.
Partizan assembly has 65 members, 31 from the ranks of sports and social workers, 25 former players and members of the working community and five representatives of the supporters. It is clear that the opposition has already secured 22 signatures (one third of assembly members), which are needed to schedule an extraordinary meeting with the aim of putting to the vote distrust of Dragan Djuric. Prior to voting, Bogicevic needs to become a member of the assembly, which is the first prerequisite for managing the Serbian champion.
Bogicevic has already announced he would not give up his intention to become president of the four times consecutive champion of Serbia, but it is certain that a serious businessman like him will not act hastily before the dismissal of majority of the current management is secured, which is more than half of the members present at the meeting.
MANAGEMENT’S RESULTS AND FAILURES: On the other hand, Dragan Djuric and his closest associates will not easily give up their positions, especially since they have won seven out of the eight possible trophies in the last four years. Partizan, also known as The Steamroller, was a regular participant in the Europe League, as well as in the Champions League two seasons ago. It was the second achievement of this kind in the history of the club led by Aleksandar Stanojevic.
However, Djuric is also criticized for poor relations with the sports sector and the conflicts among clubs which resulted in the loss of lives of club’s legends. During his term, coaches Slavisa Jokanovic, Goran Stevanovic and Aleksandar Stanojevic left the club in Humska Street with unfinished business. More fuss was made after the departures of the secretary general Gordan Petric, vice president Zoran Bata Mirkovic and sports directors Ivan Tomic and Mladen Krstajic.
Djuric is also criticized by the opponents for the unplanned sale of young players.
Turmoils in Partizan culminated in mid-January at the press conference of the former coach Aleksandar Stanojevic. The public was informed that the sale of Partizan players used to go through a former board member of Crvena Zvezda FC Marko Miskovic, the son of the famous Serbian businessman Miroslav Miskovic, who is tied with Djuric by joint business projects. Marko Miskovic offered Djuric players Prince Tagoe and Dominic Adiyiah, but the coach was clear – the team needed only Tagoe. However, both players joined the club and received the highest salaries in Partizan, while the club made no profit from that investment.
“This was Djuric’s way of expressing his respect for Marko’s father. He is supported by SPS and fans group Alcatraz, but mostly Miskovic. Miskovic and Djuric are also associated with Dodik who is a respected president of Partizan Basketball Club and who enabled them to jointly purchase a shopping center Boska in Banja Luka. Miskovic’s interest is to block the project of a new and modern Partizan stadium which would incorporate a shopping center with a variety of entertainment, because he does not want competition close to the largest shopping mall in the Balkans Delta Planet planned to be built on Autokomanda,” said a well-informed source of Novi Magazin.
Besides the love of football, individuals from the government are also present because of the transfer fees that make up the 70 to 80 percent of the annual club’s budget (about 15 million Euros).
“Djuric’s companies have lately often been blocked, while in Partizan he can count on commissions on transfers of players. He is connected with powerful and capable managers Fali Ramadani and Sergio Berti,” said our source.
Interestingly, within seven days the three members of the management presented three very different data on the amount of annual budget.
“Partisans” in Partizan: For a while (between 1989. and 1994) Partizan FC was led by former Serbian prime minister and senior official of the SPS Mirko Marjanovic. The current minister of Interior affairs and SPS leader Ivica Dacic was also a president of Partizan for a certain time.
Serbian clubs and politics are like the system of annexed courts. Changes in political level are directly reflected in the structure of the governing bodies of sports organizations. Therefore, The Black and Whites are governed by socialists led by Branko Ruzic, the president of SPS Committee and the Vice President of Partizan. SPS now has more than ten members in the assembly.
According to our sources, Djuric often brags about support of Serbian President Boris Tadic and his cabinet chief Miki Rakic. According to the findings of Novi Magazin, neither the president of Serbia, nor his cabinet have yet interfered with the actions of the club. Djuric has fair relations with the BIA Director Sasa Vukadinovic, who is a passionate fan of Partizan,” but Djuric cannot benefit from that as the leaders of secret services have not taken part in sports clubs for a long time – now coalition partners share that cake.
However, as we find out, not all of the SPS members give unreserved support to Djuric. Djuric would only be supported because of the party’s directive, but if Ivica Dacic manages to keep Ruzic under control, and Ruzic relieves the pressure on his party colleagues, there could be no absolute support of socialists.
The media has revealed an alternative outcome according to which socialists could resign at the club and, as a consequence, Djuric would lose the support.
Besides football, Djuric and Ruzic are allegedly tied by common “schemes”, as it is always nice to have a position the Committee where one can always engage his party members. Ruzic has recently named Nenad Danilovic for the club’s PR. In the past, Danilovic worked on PR strategy of the SPS, as well as on the PR strategy of Partizan that has never been published, but it was properly charged.
WHO ENJOYES THE SUPPORT OF THE FANS: On several occasions and public addresses fans have “voted” against Djuric. Supporting group Alkatraz that controls southern stand is still undecided. Because of the connections between this group and the management and the police, rivals named it “Znackatraz” (Badge-Alkatraz). Apparently some of the group’s leaders are close with Ivica Dacic. There is speculation that some leaders have recently received a financial injection by means of which the management has secured their loyalty.
“These people are there because of personal interest, they make profit from sales of fan accessories. Alkatraz is also beginning to display resistance to the management. Djuric is connected with fans through Dacic, because the police still has control over the stands. Djuric should be happy that the whole fuss did not break out during the championship, as he would have been removed by the fans,” says one the supporters.
Just before the parliamentary elections, majority of Partizan’s fans choose an unusual way to warn the SPS not to play games with the support to current management of The Black and Whites or they will lose votes. SPS headquarters, cities in Serbia and neighborhood are full of posters with crossed SPS logo and a portrait of Branko Ruzic with the message: “Either Djuric or the votes” and “Whose interests do you represent?” Several posters have appeared even in faraway Japan.
During the match of Partizan BC and Siroko BC nearly 4,000 fans sang “Djuric, leave!” and a message: “Welcome home, Bogi” was displayed for the first time”. It was addressed to a former player of The Black and Whites Miroslav Bogicevic.
DIRTY CAMPAIGN: When the conflict culminated and opponents got a candidate who would dare and be able to challenge Djuric, all the dirt was revelaed. This kind of “election creativity” surprised Miroslav Bogicevic.
“Members of Parliament are calling me saying that for the last few days they have been threatened with arrest, loss of jobs and many other things if they do not rebel against the current management. There are also indications that the club will ban veterans to attend the assembly,” said Bogicevic for sportal.rs.
As we find out, the employees in Partizan who are members of the club assembly are also against the current president, but they cannot vote because they were threatened with dismissal. According to the sources of Novi Magazin, person in charge of “persuading” employees was Slobodan Djuric, known as Djura canister, a former journalist.
“Employees did not receive the annual bonus as well as some other privileges. They did not get wages for three months, and their salaries were deposited only on the day of the assembly. Since his position became uncertain, Djuric started being nicer to people who are employed in Partizan and they were surprised when he started addressing them. Even the people who are the biggest supporters of Djuric are not his friends and they used to insult each other. Among the most despised ones were Babic and Jovicic, and Djuric is depending on them because of interest,” says the source of Novi Magazin.
Intertwining of interests and relationships is such that in the club of Black and Whites relationships are so complicated that they cannot be seen as black or white and it cannot be said that the current president will be given undivided support by anyone. One of the biggest opponents of the current president of Partizan FC Nenad Bjekovic practically brought Djuric to the club. Djuric turned his back on Bjekovic as soon as he felt the absolute power. Bjekovic was against Djuric’s policy which drove all the former aces from the club, and he advised the president to resign in the interests of the club. Soon after that he was made redundant, after 40 years spent in Humska Street.
Who are the rivals:
Miroslav Bogicevic and his concern Farmakom MB have received valuable prizes on many occasions. Bogicevic was repeatedly the most successful businessman of the year and, regarded by the Club of Economic Journalists, a businessman of the decade. He won a prestigious regional award “Manager of the Year” – Business Champions of South East and Central Europe, and at the end of last year at Oxford he received Socrates award for outstanding achievements in the field of economics and business.
Farmakom BC from Sabac was established in 1989, and in 2003. it became the owner of Sabac Dairy, Battery Factory Sombor, Agricultural-Industrial complex “PIK 7 Juli”, Industrial Complex Guca, Pozega Foundry, mines in Zajaca, Raska and Medvedja. Farmakom supports sports clubs in all places of its operation, and for a few years now it is the largest financier of Partizan Handball Club.
Bogicevic played in Partizan FC for two years. He was nominated as Djuric’s opponent by the club “opposition” whose most prominent representatives are Nenad Bjekovic, a former adviser to the president, Marko Vjetrovic, a former spokesman, Aleksandar Stanojevic, a former coach, and Mladen Krstajic, a former athletic director.
Bogicevic lacks support of the people from Serbian business club Privrednik which member is Dragan Djuric. Among the members of the Partizan FC assembly the most powerful ones are Dragoljub Vukadinovic (Metalac A.D.), Miroslav Ateljevic (ACMER-M Ltd.) and Ratko Zatezalo (Petrobart Ltd). Of course, the most powerful member of Privrednik is Miroslav Miskovic who, although not a member of the Partizan assembly, had indirectly influenced the events in Humska Street.
Dragan Djuric was born on January 20th, 1954. in Derventa and by profession is an economist. He is the president of the company Zekstra which employs about 3,000 workers. He is also the owner of the Veterinary Institute, publishing company Nolit, bookstores Sumadija and Savremena, an edible oil factory in Gradiste and department store Boska in Banja Luka. He has been active in Humska Street since 1978. During that time he was a member of the assembly of The Black and Whites for three terms and a member of several committees.
Fans cannot forgive him the fact that he was a sponsor of Crvena Zvezda BC as well as his public demands for the supporters of Partizan to look up to the fans of Crvena Zvezda. His greatest supporters are: Branko Ruzic, the vice president of the club, Milan Obucina, the general secretary of Sports Association Partizan, Ratomir Babic, a board member, Mile Jovicic, the vice president of the board, Dragoljub Vukadinovic, a board member and Tomislav Karadzic, the president of the Football Association of Serbia.
Kako lazete!