“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence”. A few words written in Cyrillic from Novak Djokovic on camera after victory at Roland Garros on the American Aleksandar Kovacevic become a political case, in the days in which inter-ethnic tensions exploded in the north of the country after the installation of mayors of Albanian ethnicity in some municipalities. The French Minister of Sport and former director of the French Federtennis (Fft), Amelie Oudea-Casterainterviewed by France 2, believes that “message is not appropriate”. Now “it must not start over”, warns the minister of Pariscriticizing that message deemed “militant” and “very political”.
The words of the Serbian, which a Paris chases the 23rd Grand Slam, come after the episodes of voltage registered on Monday a For can, the city in the north of the Kosovo where the father of Djokovic. “My father was born in KosovoI feel the need to express mine support to our people and to all the Serbia. My position it is clear, as I have always said publicly: I am against war, violence, all forms of conflict,” the tennis player said. The clashes caused a thirty wounded among the soldiers of the Kforthe peacekeeping force of the Nato. I nationalists Serbia they tried to attack the installation ceremony of the mayor of Albanian ethnicity. In that region the Serbs represent the majority of the population and some groups have refused to participate in the administrative elections. The Serbia in fact refuses to acknowledge the Kosovo like one independent nationas did over a hundred members of the United Nations after the declaration of independence in 2008.
According to the president of the Kosovo Tennis Federation Hadergjonaj lives the message of Djokovicwho in 2008 participated with a video message in the “Kosovo is Serbia“, can exacerbate tensions. “A similar message, if it comes from a public figure like that of Djokovic in an event like the Roland Garros, it doesn’t help. I understand that he still has ties to that region of Kosovo, I think part of his family still lives there, but the Kosovo is an independent nation, recognized by the ITF, by Tennis Europe, and by the entire international tennis community. There is a fundamental principle in the Olympic Charter, sports organizations within the Olympic movement must be politically neutral. The ITF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee. We will officially ask that Djokovic be fined.”
On this, however, it must be said that the Grand Slam Tournament Rules they do not officially ban the expression of political messages as opposed to the Cio. For this, for example, in 2008 the swimming champion Milorad Cavic was suspended by European championships Of Eindhoven for wearing a shirt that reads “Il Kosovo is Serbia” during the 50 butterfly awards ceremony in which he had won the gold medal. “The same rules apply in all Slamthe referee and the supervisors verify that they are respected” reads a press release from the French federationwhich between the lines suggests that there will hardly be any measures.