The Greek team Apollon Smyrnis, which competed at the second round of the LEN Champions League, but didn’t make it through the playoffs, sent a complaint form to the European Swimming Federals, LEN, which concerned the game Mladost – Crvena Zvezda, when Mladost took a huge victory beating the Serbs 9-8.
Apollon would have normally qualified for the playoffs, as he managed to beat Montpellier by 15-14 and the Croats by 10-9, but suffered a great loss against Crvena Zvezda by 14-8. On the last game of the group though, Crvena Zvezda faced Mladost, with the two teams having 6 and 3 points each. The Serbs would only be disqualified in case of a 12-goal loss or more, managing to finish first even with a 4-goal loss or less. In order for the Croats to qualify, they had to beat Crvena Zvezda in any case, to reach 6 points.
The Greeks would qualify if the match ended with the Serbs taking a victory or even with a draw. Anyways, in the last 36 seconds of the game, when the scoreboard wrote 8-8, Vuk Milojevic was charged with his final exclusion. Mladost didn’t manage to score another goal in this extra man, with 30 seconds remaining for the end. The Serbs could normally get away with the draw and qualify along with Apollon, but Aleksandar Filipovic ordered Vuk Milojevic to enter the pool, knowing he was charged with three exclusions. As a result, they were charged with a penalty, and Mladost made it 9-8 with Rakovac and 28 seconds remaining! In the last phase, Crvena Zvezda had an extra man, but Pijesivac… slapped the ball instead of shooting and it ended in the hands of Marcelic. Thus, Mladost managed to take the victory and qualify in the 2nd place of the group along with Crvena Zvezda.
Apollon’s request to LEN:
The things described in the letter of GS Apollon Smyrnis to the knowledge of LEN, noting that all of the games, including obviously the match between Mladost and Crvena Zvezda, were streaming live by the official website of the European Federation. Consequently, there is the potential to find the video of the stream, so as to certificate the «strange» competing behaviour of the team of Crvena Zvezda, including the obvious fact of the entrance of Vuk Milojevic (no. 6) on his coatche’s orders, whereas the Serbs knew that he was excluded with three major fouls, and this act would turn the result against them.
Apollon clarifies that he knows the result in the game Mladost- Crvena Zvezda has been written down and that nothing can change as far as the qualification is concerned. Thus, they express their annoyance and rage for the way it has been lost. Specificaly, they ask from LEN to supervise via their competent federal by investigating the case and give the responsibilities, if it has been turned out that the authorities and rules of the game have been broken.
At the same time, GS Apollon Smyrnis explained that he went off to sending this form, knowing that LEN, as the superior authority of Europe, who mainly targets the conduct of «clean games», should get to know of «strange» incidents like this, expressing the concern for the existance of similar serious incidents in the future, which wound and decrease the validity of the sport of water polo.
Photography: @apollon_water_polo
