Serbian derby begins with tribute to late convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic

A Serbian Super League derby between Crvena Zvezda and Partizan began Sunday with a minute of silence for the late convicted Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic.

Crvena Zvezda supporters also displayed a large banner featuring Mladic, while fans of both clubs chanted his name.

The tribute took place before the 180th “Eternal Derby” at Crvena Zvezda’s Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade.

The minute of silence ended after the stadium announcer said “May eternal glory be his,” according to Serbian media reports.

The match ended with Crvena Zvezda defeating Partizan 2-1.

The incident came two days after European football’s governing body UEFA fined Crvena Zvezda €90,000 ($104,523) over supporters’ chants and displays honoring Mladic during the club’s Europa League playoff match against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic on Aug. 27.

UEFA also banned Crvena Zvezda from selling tickets to its supporters for its next away match in a European competition. The governing body cited charges including racist or discriminatory behavior and transmitting a message not fit for a sports event.

During the match in Plzen, Crvena Zvezda supporters chanted Mladic’s name, saluted him and displayed a banner reading “General, eternal glory and thanks.”

Crvena Zvezda later shared an image of the banner on its social media accounts.

Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, died in The Hague on Aug. 27 at the age of 84 while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

He was convicted over crimes committed during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, including genocide for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.

The massacre has been recognized as genocide by international courts.

Crvena Zvezda supporters had previously honored Mladic in a similar manner, prompting UEFA sanctions against the club.

In 2017, supporters displayed a banner and chanted his name during a Europa League match against BATE Borisov, shortly after he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the UN tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

UEFA subsequently ordered the Serbian club to play a home match behind closed doors and fined it €50,000.

Following an appeal, the fine was reduced to €30,000 and the stadium ban was suspended under a two-year probationary period.

Mladic’s burial was scheduled for Monday at Topcider Cemetery in Belgrade.