The Water Polo Federation of Serbia is obliged to be precise. We do not want to deprive the public of any information, and therefore we will publish the letter from eleven players that arrived at the Federation’s address yesterday in full, but for the sake of truth, we are obliged to note that these are not eleven current national team players, but four current and seven former ones.
Why do we mention this? At the last competition (qualifications for the World Cup), which the Serbian water polo team played under the leadership of Uroš Stevanović, also now a former coach, but then the current one, the players Strahinja Rašović (34), Sava Randđelović (32), Radoslav Filipović (28), Radomir Drašović (28), Nemanja Vico (31), Nikola Dedović (34), Viktor Rašović (32), were not invited to the national team. Whether they were not invited due to their age, poor form, generational change or some other reason, we do not want to go into that, but we want to state that this is the factual situation and that they were not on the list of the then coach Uroš Stevanović.
Four players were invited, and three of them participated in the competition, Nikola Jakšić (29), Petar Jakšić (24), Đorđe Lazić (30), and Dušan Mandić (31) was unable to play due to injury. Therefore, we believed that the public had a duty to be informed and that, if it is already insisted that the players are national team players, which they certainly all were at different periods of their careers, then it should be precisely stated who are current and who are former national team players, because it was Uroš Stevanović who decided on this when he made the list of players for the last competition in which he led the Serbian national team.
Before publishing the letter of the eleven players in its entirety, we would like to emphasize that we as an organization do not in any way want to participate in what has turned into a completely natural process in a sports organization like the Water Polo Federation, which is the election of leadership that takes place regularly every four years and which has proceeded without any friction, and which has turned into a pure political showdown and abuse of sport for political purposes. We are a sports organization, not a political organization, and whoever of the current or former water polo players, coaches or members of the Federation wants to engage in politics has the full right to do so, but what they do not have the right to do is to use their sporting, current or former position for these purposes. The desire is obvious and it is completely clear that someone is trying to achieve their political goals through water polo, and this is confirmed by the way in which a significant part of the political public is turned on like a button. The Water Polo Federation does not want to participate in this and condemns any abuse of sport for political purposes.
We are now publishing the letter in its entirety and without changes from seven Radnički players (Nikola Jakšić (29), Petar Jakšić (24), Nikola Dedović (34), Strahinja Rašović (34), Sava Randđelović (32), Radoslav Filipović (28), Viktor Rašović (32)), one Marseille player (Radomir Drašović (28)), one Jadran player (Đorđe Lazić (30)), one Primorac player (Nemanja Vico (31)) and one Ferencváros player (Dušan Mandić (31)):
“Dear Sir,
As long-time national team players, current European and three-time Olympic champions, we believe it is necessary to make a statement regarding the latest developments in our Federation.
The new president of the Association, Slobodan Soro, has repeatedly tried to discredit and belittle all of our successes over the past few years through his statements.
Our gold medals were not in the least a reflection of momentary inspiration, as Slobodan Soro states, but rather years of great sacrifice, training, unity, and struggle.
We would also like to remind the public that several players from the current national team have already been exposed to unsportsmanlike actions by Slobodan Sora and his team at VK Novi Beograd, from being banned from training, expelled from the club, not being allowed to play for the national team, etc. We believe that even then, all of these actions were taken in order to harm our national team, our community, and to prevent the further progress of Serbian national water polo.
Our team, as the most trophy-winning national team in Serbia, deserves a president of the federation worthy of everything we have fought for all these years, someone who will defend our interests, stand up for us, value everything we have won, and encourage further trophy winning.
We are proud of everything we have achieved with the Serbian national team – every match, every victory, but also every difficult moment that has made us stronger as a team. As current European and three-time Olympic champions, we believe that our results have clearly shown who we are and what we represent.
The last ten years of water polo in Serbia undoubtedly represent one of the most trophy-laden periods in the history of our sport.
Throughout our entire career, we have been guided by the principles of respect, dignity and fair play. We have shown this respect to everyone, including Slobodan Soro, the current president of the Federation, even during the period when he played for the Brazilian national team and against Serbia in the biggest competitions. We are witnesses that even then he made maximum efforts to stop the Serbian national team from achieving its greatest successes, but also that he failed to do so – which is confirmed by the results that we have achieved together to the joy of our entire nation.
After much thought and mutual discussions, we have made a unanimous decision to withdraw from playing for the Serbian water polo team as long as Slobodan Soro and his team are at its helm.
This decision was very difficult, because playing for the national team has always been the greatest honor and privilege for us and the dream of every young athlete.
However, we believe it is necessary for us to personally raise our voices against all those who want to discredit and destroy the hard-won successes of the water polo team for the sake of their own personal interests.
Such people should not be at the helm of the most trophy-winning national team in Serbia.
We appeal for public support from former and current athletes, people from the world of water polo, and all those who care that the water polo federation does not fall into the hands of those who, out of their personal dissatisfaction and whims, want to devalue the past and destroy the future of our most trophy-winning sport.
Serbian national team players:
Captain Nikola Jaksic, Radoslav Filipovic, Dusan Mandic, Strahinja Rašovic, Sava Randjelovic, Djordje Lazic, Radomir Drasovic, Nemanja Vico, Nikola Dedovic, Petar Jaksic, Viktor Rašovic”
