Our people would say about Veselin Vujović – live fire! Because his temperament is just like that. That is why Vuja knew that he would be severely punished by the European Handball Federation, since he cannot remain immune to, say, the wrong decision of the referee, which is to the detriment of his team.
Once the best handball player on the planet, in 1986 the best athlete in Yugoslavia, with whom he has two Olympic medals – gold in Los Angeles and bronze in Seoul, world gold from Switzerland, or silver from the then West Germany, as well as European bronze in 1996. with great experience. There is always work for him, but he is currently on a break, although it has taken some time.
– I am in Sabac, I decided to do something else besides handball, so I formed an orchard with my son and friends, where there will be pears and cherries. I’m getting ready for some handball retirement, although I won’t soon. From January, I will definitely take over a club. I’m already bored. While it’s summer, while I’m at the cottage, on the river, there’s fishing, boating, playing tennis, it’s interesting, but when winter comes and the period from 18 to 20 hours, when there are usually training dates, then I don’t know what to do with with himself – the popular Vuja will honestly say in a conversation for „Vesti“.
The longest pause
Have you ever had a longer vacation?
– Since I started coaching, I have never had such a break. In general, it came in handy, since I was already on the verge of endurance. Doing handball at a high level is a huge consumption of materials. There is a lot of pressure of results, responsibilities, exhaustion of travels, matches, analyzes… The holiday came in handy, but when we broke up due to the crown, to this day, it is enough, it takes a long time. I wanted handball a little.
What happened to Saudi Arabia?
– Everything stopped because of the pandemic. They wanted me, but my condition was that I get some compensation this time as well. However, the ministry there was against it because I have no obligations. Only when the World Cup ends in January, in which Saudi Arabia does not participate, will they decide what to do next. Maybe by then I’ll have another job. Who knows…
Is there a club in the former Yugoslavia that you did not lead, but would like to?
– Lovcen – Vujovic laughs. – I am a Red Star fan, and in the time of Momcilo Mandic I was the coach of Partizan. Of course, I’m not sorry about that, I’m not one of those lunatics who hates Partizan, because I love Zvezda. Even today, I support black and whites when they play against teams from abroad. On one occasion, my statement was misinterpreted, when I allegedly said: Give me the budget of Zvezda basketball players and I will be the European champion with handball players. They thought I was criticizing the basketball players’ budget, God forbid, I didn’t intend to do that. The finances of the red and white basketball players are far less than other big European clubs.
What does Serbian handball lack?
– I am sorry that one big club was not made in Serbia, so then a good number of our handball players would not have to go abroad. Some would have to, but some would be there and, with a few quality reinforcements, we would have a club that has no less a role than Celje, Zagreb, or, not to mention Vardar, which has reached a double European role. I love handball in Serbia, I’m sure of that, and Serbia needs one such club. I was very pleased with the statement of President Aleksandar Vučić, with whom I do not agree in many things, but he surprised me with the comment that he will start investing in small sports, which have brought us significant results throughout history. That handball clubs will receive financial assistance. It came to me like a balm to a wound.
We need strangers
Can Serbia have a new Metaloplastika in the future?
– It should pass a law on sports, where investing in sports will be taxed and treated differently. Why would people pay a huge tax to the state, when they could invest in sports? They have the right to decide, they affirm themselves in that sport, so that our youth stays, the players do not go abroad so young, so that clubs, with the funds they receive from the state and one or two sponsors, bring a quality handball player. When was the last time you saw a foreigner in Serbia, not to mention those from Montenegro or BiH? In such conditions, both coaches and younger players all benefit. A quality league, clubs, players are being made… To create a strategy, where a quality European club will be obtained in a few years. I always say that three things are very important: money, money and money!
More specifically?
– No matter how much you worked, had enthusiasts, who are the essence of handball, we spent a little. Some have disappeared naturally, some have been lost by selection, those who work today have to make a living from something. Enthusiasts used to be professors, they had a salary, so they gave all the rest to handball. Not so today. The French should be emulated! The association there pays 30-50 coaches, who work in schools, in cities, according to the plan of the Expert Council, so that we can popularize handball. Serbia is a fertile climate, it has seeds. It cannot just be sown, it must be taken care of.
There have been no foreigners in Serbian handball for fifteen years?
– Countries that are on the verge of economic, sports, ie handball collapse, do not have foreigners. They do not have Montenegro, BiH, Croatia, Slovenia… Austria, Slovakia do not have that quality, but they have foreigners, Macedonia even a large number. Almost all of its first leaguers have at least one foreigner. The automatic arrival of such handball players brings a different culture, the notion of sports… I don’t understand people when they say „I’m not going to watch“, hypothetically speaking, Metaloplastika, because there are no three people from Šapče. Wait, how many handball players are there in Kiel from that place, so 10,000 people come to support the team? Well, here is FC Red Star, as an example, those foreigners „die“ for the jersey they wear, and that is the only thing that matters.
Recently, Tony Gerona was appointed the coach of Serbia. What do you think about that move?
– We got a foreign coach, it didn’t happen for a long time. He was not given the opportunity to work because of the crown. Everyone says that the Spaniards are quality coaches, we will see how much he will cope with this system of ours, the chaotic situations that exist in Serbian handball.
While you were the selector of the SCG national team, it was mentioned that at the last European Championship in Switzerland, you asked the players to let the Croats, before that, at the World Cup in Tunisia, to „adjust“ the duel with Qatar because of the betting. What happened at those pre-match meetings and then on the field?
– The news is to you, as if you take a feather pillow, climb on the solitaire and spill those feathers, and the denials are to you, as if you are trying to collect all those feathers that have been blown away, and that is impossible. It is best to be silent then. If I tried to agree something with the Croats in Switzerland, I betrayed the players, the federation, the people… Do you think that the Croats would hire me, as a reward for that? Because if I sold my people, I would sell them too. Is it like that? When you watch a movie, when someone betrays their people, does they get an award, or end up with a bullet in the forehead, or some other ugly way? So, someone should lose faith in you. Such claims are absurd. It was a machine, initiated to change people from the RSS, and thus Veselin Vujović. The meeting with the Croats was just a capillary.
What exactly was going on?
– Was there a story on that topic? It was… Still, the Croats, world and Olympic champions, are playing against Serbia and begging him to let them go? People, let’s see, is that realistic? Were they afraid that we would play harder, and the match means nothing to us? There’s always that „hey, don’t get stuck today.“ You will hear that among the players, but it is all a joke. I have said 100 times so far, if anyone comes and confirms it from my national team, or from Croatia, I agree never to appear anywhere in handball again! I said that ten years ago, so here, no one showed up. People who love and respect me will say: Well, all credit to him, man. „Those who don’t love me will say:“ What are you doing here, sold out baby „, because there are such people. We are such a nation. Today evil has come upon the people. I don’t let children beat me, granddaughter, in anything, let alone sell someone a game.
What happened in Tunisia, with Qatar?
– At that time, sports bookmakers started appearing at the World Cup for the first time. Nobody knew how it all worked. Our ticket duel was also on offer. You know how it goes, friends called our players, inquired about the result, and commented: „I don’t know, we won’t get more than 15-16 differences.“ What happened there, honestly, I don’t know. I saw from the players that something was wrong. We won by 13-14, but we were leading at halftime. The second half was everything, except for one correct game, where I was shocked. It later turned out that there was such a story.
I wear a stain for no reason
How do you live with what has been talked about and happened?
– I wear that stain, I don’t know how many years have passed, I didn’t participate, but I was a selector. Do you think a coach can stop a player from betting? Can not. I am the selector of Slovenia, the coach of Zagreb, where certain players appear as scorers in the bookmaker’s offers, will they score more than three or five goals. Do you think that I couldn’t play a ticket like that, and then I wouldn’t let that „chosen one“ play, if he scored as many goals as it took to reach the limit, or something like that? That is absurd! I swear I don’t know what I would do to myself for such things – Vujović concludes.
Barcelona bench an unfulfilled dream
Is there a job you wanted but didn’t get?
– I sincerely hoped, as someone who won the first Champions League with Barcelona as a player, left a big mark, had a huge influence in all that, that I would get the opportunity to one day become the coach of the Catalans. However, my departure to Ciudad Real, a team that was Barcelona’s sports opponent, may have disturbed that relationship a bit because I came into conflict with Valeri River, the team’s coach. Maybe someone at the club took that for evil. It’s the only job I wanted, but it didn’t come true.
Vukovic is to blame for coming to Sabac
How did you come to Metaloplastika?
– I was invited to the junior selection of Yugoslavia, the then selector Sead Hasanefendić called me, while the coxswain of team A was Jezdimir Stanović. I was invited to Pula, when both national teams participated in the well-known tournament. Isaković, Vuković, Rašić were in the national team at that time… At their persuasion and energy, in addition, Vuković later made an effort with the legendary president Aleksandar Trifunović to establish contacts with me and RK Lovćen, the transfer was realized. Vukovic is, in fact, the most deserving that I became a member of Metalopastika.
Cetinje and Sabac are two different worlds
Are there any similarities between Cetinaj and Sabac?
– Economic, political, historical, totally two different cities. No matter how hard I try, I don’t see a resemblance. This is a plain town, on a river, it is a town in the mountains.
You recently stated that politics is like a cow on a roof.
– They asked me what I think about politics, I say it’s like seeing a cow on the roof. You look and think: how did this cattle climb so high? It turns out that today, a man who has no qualities, except that he started appearing in a political school, then became active, was with someone, and was obedient, eventually progresses. In terms of status, creativity, eloquence, intelligence, intelligence, he did not deserve to be someone or something, and he decides on the fate of a society, city, people. I identified it with the cow that climbed on the roof, which everyone around wonders, how it got up.
According to Vujović, many things have lost their meaning:
– Today, we have totally changed the criteria, that applies to all republics of the former Yugoslavia. You no longer see if that man is a good host, a father, an honest and loyal friend, a good worker. It all falls into the background, if he is not a member of your party. He can be a bastard, a criminal, a probisvet, a person who is in conflict with the law, he is a foreigner out of interest, but he is great. We don’t have to be like-minded to be good people. Zvonko Šindovski was the coach of Metalurg, I Vardar, in the most difficult situation, when guns were taken out at matches among fan groups, when there was „madness“, so we were friends. We sit, and the next day we play a derby that means life and death, we don’t talk about handball, we are friends! Why can’t people from two different parties, who have different programs, be friends, if they are good people, if everyone in their own way wishes well to that people and country?
Source: Vesti-online.com
