Ostoja Mijailović, the president of the Partizan basketball club, held a press conference today where it was announced that Željko Obradović has extended his contract with the club for another two seasons.
After the positive news that delighted all fans of the black and white team, as well as the basketball community, the president of the club addressed the media and expressed his satisfaction with the continuation of collaboration with the most successful coach in Europe. He also spoke about the insults that occurred during this season.
„We must fight against this insult. We love them (the players) and they are the best in the world and we are grateful for everything they do. Regarding the insults, we must eradicate them. I have never spoken about my political affiliations, it goes against the sport law and I would never abuse it in that way. These insults harm us,“ said Mijailović, adding:
„No one has ever asked me how I feel inside when the insults start. Some people are not in the same position as me. It used to be normal for Partizan to pay three or four out of ten salaries, when we paid five, it was considered a success. This led the club to be on the verge of closure in 2017 when we took over the club. We fought to pay off those debts, we cleared them and they no longer exist. Many people, when they start insulting, for example, the president of the country, look at me to see how I react. I never react to it because it should not be done. I might have to call him for help tomorrow. He tells me ‘I will help, it is my obligation as the president of the country, you are a state club, but as a person, it doesn’t feel good to be insulted because you think I don’t deserve it.’ We have to stop this, we have the best fans in Europe, the best coach, players, we have the best management here. We have to prevent and avoid escalations with sponsors and the EuroLeague. We need to remove politics from the arena. You have elections, so vote for whoever you want, I won’t meddle in that. We shouldn’t insult Milutinov, the president of the country, or anyone else. If we want to have a future, we need to focus on ourselves.“
As he admitted, there were rumors in the public that he would not extend Obradović’s contract.
„I’ve heard nonsense that I wouldn’t extend Željko’s contract. We resolve all our disagreements internally, not through media, not through rumors. What we have in common is that we all love Partizan. You have seen the impact Partizan has had on Lesor, on Dantea… We should build the beauty of basketball. We have brought a lot to Serbia in terms of basketball, we have become a phenomenon. We should not insult anyone. No one has asked me how Partizan manages to meet all obligations in one year? That is our obligation. When Željko signs a contract, it sells more tickets, but Željko needs players and a team that the fans can watch,“ Mijailović emphasized.
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