Serbian embassy in Sarajevo condemns anti-Serbia chants at basketball game

SARAJEVO - The Serbian embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina said on Monday there was no justification for shameful anti-Serbia chants at a Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina basketball game in Sarajevo on Sunday evening and noted that home supporters had demonstrated "all that is neither sport nor a virtue."

In a statement on X, the embassy said the chants, filled with hatred against Serbia, its president Aleksandar Vucic and its people, cast a shadow over the game itself and fair play on the basketball court.

As the Serbian national anthem was being played before the game, the home crowd chanted "No one will hate you as much as I do."

"Sport shapes virtues. Unfortunately, at last night's game, Bosnia and Herzegovina supporters demonstrated all that is neither sport nor a virtue," the embassy said.

In the hostile atmosphere, Serbia won the FIBA World Cup qualifier 74-72.

After booing the Serbian anthem, throughout the game, the crowd waved the wartime flags of the so-called Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which committed numerous war crimes against the Serbs in the 1990s.

The Basketball Federation of Serbia, too, condemned the incidents in a statement.

In a comment, Vucic said the insults against him personally meant that he was doing a good job of safeguarding Serbian national interests.