‘Serbian nationalists’ propaganda’: Kosovo slams Djokovic comment

World
By William

Djokovic’s comments “could lead to more tension and violence between Serbia and Kosovo,” an official said.

Kosovo’s Olympic authorities have asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open disciplinary proceedings against Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic. They accuse him of fueling political tension by saying “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” at the French Open.

The 36-year-old scribbled “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a camera lens after his first round match at Roland Garros on Monday, and later defended himself saying: “Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, the center of the most important things for our country”.

He was accused on Wednesday by the Kosovo Olympic Committee (KOK) of promoting “Serbian nationalist propaganda”.

“Novak Djokovic has again promoted the propaganda of the Serbian nationalists and used the sports platform to do so,” KOK president Ismet Krasniqi wrote in a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach.

The letter accused Djokovic of violating the principles of sport and the Olympic Charter on “political neutrality”.

“The further statements after the match, made by such a public figure without any sense of remorse, directly result in increasing the tension and violence between the two countries, Serbia and Kosovo,” the Kosovo statement said.

KOK’s Krasniqi said Djokovic’s posts and actions were “dangerous to the future of the sport if left unpunished”.

Kosovo is a predominantly ethnic Albanian populated area that used to be a province of Serbia.

It declared independence in 2008, which has been recognized by about 100 countries, with the exception of Serbia, Russia, China and five other European Union countries.

Thirty peacekeepers from a NATO-led force in Kosovo were injured Monday in clashes with ethnic Serb demonstrators during protests against the appointment of ethnic Albanian mayors in northern Kosovo.

The NATO spokesman issued a statement condemning the attack and “calling on all parties to refrain from actions that further inflame tensions and to engage in dialogue”.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said 52 Serbs were injured when Kosovo’s president Vjosa Osmani accused Vucic of destabilizing the self-proclaimed republic.

‘Unsuitable’

Djokovic was also criticized by French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera, who told broadcaster France 2 that the 22-time Grand Slam winner’s message was “clearly inappropriate”.

“There is a principle of neutrality for the playing field. If you convey messages about defending human rights, messages that bring people together around universal values, an athlete is free to express them.

“But in this case it was a very activist message, very political. You shouldn’t interfere, especially in the current circumstances, and it shouldn’t happen again,” added Oudea-Castera, former head of the French tennis federation.

She added that the Roland Garros director had spoken with Djokovic and his entourage.

In a conversation with Serbian media, Djokovic emphasized that he is not a politician and does not intend to enter into debates.

The world number three defended his comments, telling reporters in Serbian that what he wrote on the TV camera was “the least I could do”.

“I feel responsible as a public figure… and also as the son of a man who was born in Kosovo,” Djokovic said.

“Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, the center of the most important things for our country… There are many reasons why I wrote that on camera,” he told Serbian media during the tournament.

“Of course, as a Serb, it hurts me a lot to see what is happening in Kosovo and how our people have been practically expelled from the town halls, so the least I could do was this,” Djokovic added.

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