Croatian-Born Vujasinović Appointed Serbia Water Polo Coach Amidst Team Crisis

Vladimir Vujasinović, a celebrated water polo player born in Rijeka, Croatia, has been officially appointed as the new head coach of the Serbian national water polo team.

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Every respect for the Olympic and European gold medals, won recently in Belgrade, however, I think it was more momentary inspiration than proof of great quality, as was the case before.

The appointment comes amid a significant crisis within the Serbian water polo federation. Vujasinović takes over following the departure of former coach Uroš Stevanović due to policy disagreements. This led to a mass exodus of 11 players, including captain Nikola Jakšić, who declared they would not play for the national team while Slobodan Soro and his associates lead the federation.

Soro's critical comments about the team's recent Olympic and European gold medals, suggesting they were more a product of "momentary inspiration" than consistent quality, further fueled the chaos. This internal turmoil has cast a shadow over the team's recent successes.

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Everything about the war started much earlier, they all knew where I was from and what I was. But I have to say that I didn't feel it at all. Absolutely nothing. Daily life was as usual, we continued to joke and live normally, but everything else was bad.

Vujasinović's own background is complex. He played youth matches for Croatia and even participated in one game for the senior national team, despite his relatives fighting on the opposing side during the Croatian War of Independence. He recounted the difficult period, noting how his father lost business opportunities and his mother faced demotion and harassment at her supermarket job due to the conflict. "My father worked privately and could no longer get work. That's war, I can't be angry at anyone," he said, reflecting on the impact of the war on his family.

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My father worked privately and could no longer get work. That's war, I can't be angry at anyone. My mother was a supermarket supervisor, and when it all started to heat up, they demoted her to a saleswoman at the train station. That was the worst job. Volunteers came in, entered her shop, told her all sorts of things, were armed... And she went through all of it hard.

Despite these personal challenges and his Croatian ties, Vujasinović built a successful international career, winning a world championship, three European titles, and an Olympic silver medal representing Serbia. His appointment now places him at the helm of a team grappling with internal strife, tasked with navigating its future.

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My family is huge, my mother had eight siblings. They were all from (so-called) 'Krajina'. They were there, in the 'Balkan Revolution'. They were in positions, there wasn't much shooting, it was more symbolic, but they were in uniform.