News, news, news

I’m about to puke.
Dragan Mance passed away 31 years ago. Average Fan is about to have a quiet day with lighting a candle and remembering with old videos.
No way.
Average Fan opens the news feed and a railway carriage sized dung and garbage starts to flow. That’s all about having a quiet remembrance.
Let’s start with football.
The team’s management gathers together again, trying again to elect a president instead of the temporary Ivan Ćurković.
Rumours say that it’s been a done deal for a while, as the current management put vice president Milorad Vučelić to the presidental chair underhand. The election that is supposed to be held on 12th (or 14th) September is just a formality. Of course it’s not official yet, but more or less you can take it as a shoo-in. Mondo.rs tells about the other candidate Nenad Bjeković has no actual support after the current leadership discharged everyone who was about to vote for him. Ćirković just added, Vučelić would be a much better candidate than him. (Ćirković will surely not enter as a candidate this time.)

Let’s not try to find out what he got from the management for this declaration.

What really made my eyebrows raise was a half-sentence by Mondo saying that fans also support Vučelić against Bjeković. I’d really like to look into the eyes of these alleged fans (in case this rumour is not fake), and I’d like to see each and every one of them the certification from a psychiatrist (with stamp and signature) that they are all sane.

***

Aleksandar Džikić is rumoured to stand up from KK Partizan’s bench. The head coach has been weary of the continuous uncertainty, the pressure, but most of all of the double standards that have been used against Partizan lately. Sources mention Džikić has been considering this decision since when it came to light that there will still be a Serbian team in Eurocup.

Originally Partizan was this team, but the Serbian Basketball Association said that if Partizan entered the competition, the team would be excluded from the Serbian championship. Partizan finally decided to cancel entering the series - meanwhile they had enough troubles with FIBA as well - then they thought this newly founded basketball Champions League could be a kind of life-belt for the team.

And this team is not else than... FMP!
Thank you, Čoki, thank you, KSS!
I’m not surprised at all that it was too much for Aleksandar Džikić. It’s a miracle that he could bear it all until now.
What is more, the successor of Džikić was also mentioned. The press told about Miroslav "Muta" Nikolić as KK Partizan’s possible next head coach. Nikolić is currently the second trainer of the Serbian men’s national basketball team.

Miroslav Nikolić

(photo: zurnal.rs)

A slight blessing in disguise is that the basketball team signed another player, 22-year-old Stefan Pot, who already debuted in the team at a friendly pre-season game against Besiktas (Partizan won to 83:77).

Stefan Pot

(photo: mondo.rs)

That’s all for now.

***

And now stand up and salute silently for a minute.
Legends live. In our hearts, in our memories, on photos, in videos and on the walls of buildings.
Dragan Mance - † 03. 09. 1985.

(photo made by the author)

Photo gallery: Celebrating Partizan’s 70th birthday

Partizan sports society (JSD Partizan) celebrated the 70th anniversary of its foundation on 4th October. For this occasion the team rent National Theater (Narodno pozorište) in Belgrade to remember these 7 decades in the proper way. Former players were invited as well as the current squad and for great (and not too pleasant) surprise there were politicians, too. Here are a huge bunch of photos taken at the event together with a long video, because RTS 2 broadcasted it all live and since then it has been uploaded to Youtube, of course.

Mateja Kežman arrives

Vladica Kovačević

Veljko Paunović

Omnem dimitte spem, o vos intrantes - leave all hope, ye who enter. Even if you’re Albert Nagy personally, because if you want to get into the Hall of Fame, you have to get through Miloš Vazura...

...and Milorad Vučelić

Did you notice the sickening colour of Vazura’s face? What about those panda-sized circles around his eyes?

Saša Ilić and his family

Marko Jevtović with his parents

Predrag Mijatović

On this photo there is a legendary former player of Partizan hidden. Send your answers to us and the winner gets the footprint of Zoran Popović as a prize

There were all kinds of people. Insignificant ones...

...legendary ones...

...and well... these guys.

Partizan’s management is smoozing with Serbian first deputy prime minister Ivica Dačić

Posing with the bosses was surely a must

It would be interesting to know where Petar Grbić found this amazingly orange jacket

For this hat even the most forgiving judge would give 10 years of forced labour in a quarry to Bojinov

Everyone must get photographed with the bosses. No escape

I get that there was probably no dress code for this event. I get that, too, that a football player isn’t necessarily a fashion icon. I get even that reason, that a football player cannot buy a 3-piece Giorgio Armani-suit. But has nobody told this scatter-brained Bulgarian that you must NEVER wear a hat

a) in theatre

b) at the table

c) while dancing

d) generally indoors

because it is considered as one of the biggest indecorums. A gentleman wears hat only outdoors. Period.

Džigi, Subić and Brašanac

The Master and the young padawan

Zoran Popović had a speech. You can read it here, if you want to

Then Grupa JNA appeared on stage performing U mislima mojim

Then came a stage play, written and directed specially for this occasion. The main character, a 15-year-old Grave Digger remembers back the golden ages with his grandfather and father. By the way, did you know that Albert Einstein was a Grave Digger?

Yes, he was, just like Vuk Karadžić

Here the grandfather is telling stories to the young fan about Stjepan Bobek

Great names to remember...

...and some are still with us: Vladica Kovačević...

...Ivan Ćurković

(Mustafa Hasanagić was also there, but nobody took any photos about him)

Meanwhile the scene changed, here are the parents of the young Grave Digger

The father was a Grave Digger as well, of course, one of the first members of the Southern Tribune. He also remembered the great old days...

...and the Living Legend, Momčilo Moca Vukotić, who can’t, who mustn’t be forgotten

Grupa JNA again, now performing Partizan anthem with Saša Aleks

It cranked up the atmosphere

Albert Nagy enjoyed it

Those who sit at cheap seats may clap their hands. Those who sit at expensive seats, it’s enough to rattle with your jewels

Then the father continued to remember back, telling about Dragan Mance...

...Predrag Mijatović...

The top moment was when Saša Ilić appeared on stage and handed his own jersey to the young fan

"Sale, hvala ti"

At the end, Partizan’s future, the children

The final: Dobro pamtim sve with the kids and Nele Karajlić

Party time

Great applause at the end. It was nice, emotional, just like a remembrance should be

After-party with Mr. Hat and friends

Duško Vujošević: If I remember well, the emergency exit is near the male toilet on the left...

Politicians, boot-lickers and outsiders

Here is the entire event:

(photos: Facebook/Fudbalski klub Partizan)