JELENIĆ: The games are not even over, and in Belgrade they were working on taking over the Federation and changing the coach

President of the Water Polo Federation of Serbia, Viktor Jelenić , he spoke publicly only once during the Olympic Games in Paris. He did it after the semi-final match with the USA and placing in the final.

– There is one more game left, the Games are not over. But it's nice when you know that a medal has been won, the seventh in a row, the fifth when only Serbia is concerned - he said on that occasion.

It was celebrated in the past few days, the water polo players were and still are in points of interest. Rightfully so, a third consecutive Olympic gold is a real feat. In an interview for the website of the Association, Jelenić first said:

– Everyone saw how it went and how far we have come. You have to earn everything, after all, just like in everyday life.

He reminded Jelenić about the beginning of June:

– Before the start of preparations in Kragujevac, I had a meeting with players and coaching staff. I said that our goal is gold and that if we think otherwise, we won't do anything. It is an obligation to themselves but also to all previous great generations.

He repeated this statement at the press conference in Šabac before the start of the tournament. Few could believe that his words had a cover.

– I knew how they worked. Still, sport is sport. Before the last training session, I told coach Stevanović, he can confirm, that I will resign if we don't win a medal. It is my moral obligation. When I saw them off at the airport, I just told him "Fight, we will either be colonels or dead." Uroš answered me "We will be colonels". He believed, was an optimist, unlike many.

The president of the association recalls the period after Tokyo:

– We know what was happening, we changed the coach. I told Stevanović then that it would be difficult, very difficult. Here, now at the end, as everything looks like, the third consecutive Olympic gold for Serbia. Continuity exists, that's the most important thing. Hungary has three consecutive gold medals in water polo, we are like the Americans in basketball. We have seven in a row.

About the Games themselves, Jelenić says that it was interesting in Paris as well as in Belgrade:

– I know from experience that the most important is the quarterfinals. Fear after Australia was normal, but every team has a bad day. The meeting with France was like the round of 16 and we easily won. The duel with the Hungarians did not solve anything.

And Jelenić then pointed out:

– In Belgrade it happened that some, not to mention names, had just came out of the pool, wanted to take over the organization. The games didn't even end and they shared the functions, talked to the representatives of the clubs. The goal was to replace me, the coach, the entire top of the association. At least they should have waited until the competition was over. First jump then say hop. My well-intentioned advice is that they go down to the mine, that is, to the club, to learn the job and then think about taking over the alliance. I still have 18 months left in my mandate and I will leave the association as successful in terms of results and finances. After that, let them do what they want, if they come to the front. I'm proud, I'm the only official in Europe who won the Champions League and the Super Cup as a club president, and two Olympic gold medals with two coaches as the president of the association. With the younger categories, in the last ten competitions, we won nine medals, seven world and two European. We are also trying to raise women's water polo. Don't forget, it was also the year of corona. All this is homework for the heirs, whoever they are.

The logical question is whether these events had something to do with the well-known situation surrounding Mandić and Šapić:

– Only Mandić knows how he felt after everything that happened in New Belgrade. He showed how he overcame that and became one of the best to ever play this sport. I was also in the Assembly of Belgrade and didn't come over to say hello.

An explanation followed:

– Aleksandar Šapić and I have not spoken for more than 12 years. We played together in three clubs and the national team, were roommates for five years. It would not be appropriate for me to comment. He knows that I know what happened years ago. Maybe one day we can work out our differences before we move to a better place. I believe that there is some force that rewards you if you do good and vice versa. I live the way I live, my wife, with whom I have been married for 31 years, says that I am a difficult man. I'm trying not to end up in the ninth circle of Hell from the Divine Comedy. There go those who deceived the people who trusted them.

We are going back to Paris, there is a meeting with the selector whose contract has expired:

– Of course, we will have meeting, I would say pro forma. Uroš showed that he knows how to lead a team, achieves results despite the numerous problems he encountered. In the last 40 years, only five coaches have won the Games, Uroš is one of them and that is to be respected.

It is agreed that the selector hit with Gerić, Dajana Zoretić, with the return of Ćuk and Dedović.

– We talked about psychologists during the World Championship in Doha. It is very important for the whole story. Diana did a superb job, the teacher timed their physical preparation for the final of the competition brilliantly. Dedović and Ćuk gave what they needed. I was also in favor of Prlainović returning, he changed his mind. No one can say that we have not done a great thing for Serbian water polo and Serbian sports as a whole. I think that water polo is truly our national sport.

Next year is the World Championship in Singapore, in January 2027 is the European Championship in Belgrade.

– The world is still in my mandate. We continue to work, we have excellent cooperation with our people in the European and world federation. I want to thank the players once again, they fought like hell, Uroš and the coaching staff for a great job, the people who were with us, President Vučić for his constant support all the time. Every ceiling is a new floor. It's not easy, but here we are fighting – finished Viktor Jelenić's interview for the website of the Water Polo Association of Serbia.