Criticism from the newly elected president of Serbia's Water Polo Federation, Slobodan Soro, has sparked a crisis in the country's national water polo team. Eleven players, including key members of the Olympic and European gold-winning team, have announced their withdrawal from the team. Additionally, head coach Uros Stevanovic resigned in protest over Soro's comments.
The players expressed their outrage over Soro's statements, which they perceived as attempting to discredit and belittle their achievements. In an Instagram post, the players emphasized that their gold medals were the result of years of dedication, training, and struggle, not momentary inspiration as Soro suggested.
Soro, who was elected president on April 29, claimed that the national team is "not at the same level as in previous years" and that their recent successes were more a matter of temporary inspiration than proof of great quality. This led to the players' decision to withdraw from the team as long as Soro and his team remain in charge.
The players also alleged that they had been poorly treated by Soro and his associates, particularly during their time at the Novi Beograd water polo club, where Soro previously served as the club’s director. According to reports, Soro was backed for the federation presidency by former player and Belgrade Mayor Aleksandar Sapic.
The federation responded by stating that the election of the new leadership has turned into a political confrontation, with sport being used for political purposes. "We are a sports organisation, not a political one," the federation said, adding that "someone is trying to achieve their political goals through water polo."
The national team has won the last three consecutive Olympic gold medals and is also the current European champion. Soro, a former goalkeeper, played for both Serbia and Brazil during his career and retired in 2021 while playing for the Italian club Lazio. He refused to comment on the players' letter, according to the Telegraf website.
