Quorum Specialis

After all that has happened in the football association in the last six months, and in particular in the last few days, it remains to be seen whether the damage inflicted to the Yugoslav football and its representation by those who are currently in power will be less than that caused by those who yearned to get hold of power. Our football got into a very poor situation, from where it can neither choose its future, nor independent of those who are seek only personal benefit.

The conflict that has long ago been set off within the organisation is now reaching its maximum and whoever succeeds to grasp all strings in the war of interests deserves to be admired. It seems to have been somewhat easier; everything was based on misunderstanding of two republic associations that altogether constitute FAY. The Football Association (FA) of Serbia did not endorse a presidential candidate from Montenegro Dusko Bjelica because, as according to an official explanation, he lacks the desired authoritative stance to lead FAY and represent it worldwide. Unofficially, the political ingredient was also involved, since Bjelica is an exponent of politics, managed by Novak Jovanovic, president of FA Montenegro. However, it is now more difficult to find a way out, since the football clan Serbia got divided between ‘reformists’ and ‘conservatives’, between ‘supporters of Vasovics’ and ‘counter-Vasovics’, and maybe it would not be too much to say that it all originated in a conflict between ‘Crvena Zvezda’ and ‘Partizan’.

CONFLICT OF THE ‘EVERLASTING’”: According to that theory, Velibor Vasovic advocates ‘Crvena Zvezda’, while ‘Partizan’ does not even want to hear about that. FAY, or what has remained of it, supports ‘Partizan’, since it regards Vasovic as an enemy, who never chose words when attacking whatever came from FAY (he was entitled to that), but who also never chooses means to get hold of posts belonging to those he wishes to replace (which, as a manner, cannot be accepted in the public). If that thesis is right, than ‘Vaske’ once more succeeded in causing a dispute between the rivals, just as he did when he transferred from ‘Partizan’ to ‘Crvena Zvezda’ only to return a year later. He often changed locations, as a coach and technical director, from the (then) stadium of JNA (the Yugoslav National Army) to ‘Marakana’, though without much success. Just as he was a high-quality player (which brought him to Ajax), he was a mediocre coach.

Vasovic had no real chance to prove himself a good sport worker. All his activities in the last few years were basically attacks towards FAY in service of a self-proclaimed Association for Protection of Yugoslav Football, which to some extent reminds me of the Patriotic Alliance of Belgrade in the previous regime. However, Vasovic proved to be very impatient. Had he been wiser and more patient, he would have realised his aspirations without problems.

But, in his obsession to ‘overthrow Miljanic and Bulatovic’, he did not turn his back on JUL – the Yugoslav Left – (his supporters also mention the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party of Serbia), trying to encourage their departure. Some commentators mentioned another ‘slip-up’ on Vasovic’s part when he mentioned the name of Slobodan Milosevic in ‘Sport Café’ back in 1999 (Blic daily, May 20th). However, no matter what Vasovic might think of Slobodan Milosevic – it is his right and a private matter, but with such a ‘background’, the same Vasovic appeared before FAY on October 6th and tried to chase away the ‘remains of the previous regime’. Let us imagine that Vuk Draskovic appeared in a certain institution on October 5th and said: ‘Everyone out, I was the opposition…’

Apart from a general recognition that the act itself was unprincipled, the fact that, thanks to Miljanic and Bulatovic, FAY remained to be the only sport association closed to the former regime, was totally ignored.

Vasovic’s method was regular and he submitted his candidacy for secretary general, which was not far from the post of a president. Namely, the following scheme was fashioned: FA would officially give its consent to Dusko Bjelica’s presidential candidacy, but the Association will practically be in Vasovic’s hands, because the office is in Belgrade and the president in Podgorica. In fact, that would be copy of the current version in which FAY is managed by Bulatovic, since Miljanic rarely comes into sight, but with a slight difference – Miljanic is at least informed and consulted by Bulatovic about the latter’s moves, whereas ‘Vaske’ would simply have to ‘ingest’ the already absent and unpersuasive Bjelica.

DECEIVED MONTENEGRINS: A five-member delegation of FA Serbia set off on a trip to Cetinje and reached a pact with the Montenegrin side. The agreement was supposed to be sealed on May 22nd in Belgrade at the electoral parliament of FAS. In the meantime, some legal problems occurred, but in any case, the almost whole Montenegrin delegation (only president Novak Jovanovic was absent) was addicted to visit Belgrade, and then made full of in an entirely primitive way: first, the hotel rooms were cancelled, and afterwards the parliament session did not take place at all, because the Serbian side lacked the prescribed quorum…

And now what? Each deal with the Montenegrin side now becomes more difficult, if not impossible, although the Montenegrin calculation and insistence on Bjelica is not too productive after all. As far as FA of Montenegro is concerned, such thing as ‘FAY does not exist since February 23rd’, but theory is one thing, practice another. FAY has found a legal strongpoint in the Constitution of the country and continued to work as if nothing has happened. The Council for Urgent Matters is still in function; everything and everyone are at their places and posts, but without their own guilt. Had there been normal relations between FA Serbia and FA Montenegro (whoever asks if it is at all possible to expect normal relations between the two republics with regards to football when there are no normal relations at various other state levels, should, for example, take a look at the Basketball Association, the president of which is from Montenegro), Miljanic would have been succeeded on February 23rd, his successor would have then chosen a secretary general, which would definitely not have been Bulatovic. Thus, they remained by chance, which of course does not mean that they have been neutral while waiting for the answer of the two republic associations. No doubt that the current leadership of FAY is anti-Vasovic orientated and no doubt that it has no influence on the state of affairs, but the fact that they did intend to leave remains.

Meanwhile, the representatives also had their say, above all Dragan Stojkovic Piksi, Dejan Savicevic and Predrag Mijatovic. Their attitude and position were not without influence on the latest occurrences. If they are lucky – Dejan on the bench, and Piksi and Pedja on the playing field – to bring back enough points from Moscow, there will be no such force to keep them away from the future allocation of posts in the associations of both Serbia and Yugoslavia (if it still exists until then) as well as in the representation.

The only positive thing in the whole matter is that many resignations have been signed, some out of principles, some out of extortion. Those who were unblemished and did not want to be part of the game in the struggle for power will leave unblemished and return when everything comes back at its usual place. The departure of the deceitful and the shrewd would not, however, bring any harm to anyone. Quite the contrary.

The worst of all is that our representation is about to take part in a match which might give it a chance to chase after the second place in the group, but it seems that very few people think about that… The race for power was most important of all. If such circumstances endure, someone will really have to re-establish order and stability.