ON1 accuses Crnogorac of attempting to trade with the fight of a club competitor

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The ON1 judo club accused the leaders of the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina of preventing the victory of their minor competitor M. H. at the national championship in March this year in Nova Bila, after which the talented competitor will miss important international competitions this year.

„The dominant competitor of the ON1 club was deducted points contrary to all rules. The controversial decision was made by referee Slavko Sikirić. It was also agreed upon by the president of the Judo Federation of BiH, Branislav Crnogorac“, they state from the club.

From the ON1 club, they emphasize that spectators and other competitors objected to the decision of referee Sikirić. The recording of the fight was sent to multiple addresses of domestic and international judo experts, who, they claim, also noticed irregularities during the disputed refereeing.

„The Federation tried to deny us the recording of that fight as well. We received it later from friends who recorded the fight on private phones. This is a disgrace“, they pointed out from ON1. 

Trade with the fight?

The president and coach of the ON1 team, Karim Hebib, previously initiated a lawsuit against the president of the Judo Federation, Branislav Crnogorac, before the Municipal Court in Sarajevo. Hebib accuses Crnogorac of unlawfully trying to ban him from participating in domestic judo competitions. Such a decision by the Federation was annulled by the Court.

From ON1, they claim that their competitor was denied victory in Nova Bila in order to put Hebib and the club in a position to negotiate about dropping the lawsuit before the Sarajevo court.

Hebib claims: „Crnogorac, 15 days after the competition in Bila, offered a 'settlement', i.e., a trade with the 'fate' of the 15-year-old competitor. He offered to change the result of the national championship, to treat the injured competitor of the ON1 club as the champion, to enable him to appear on the international sports scene. He guaranteed that he would pledge his authority in the JSBiH and certainly succeed in implementing such a decision. In return, Crnogorac demanded, ultimatively and immediately, that the court process underway in Sarajevo be stopped, as well as that media appearances about irregularities in the work of the JSBiH be stopped“.

To him, as the president and coach of the ON1 Club, said Hebib, one of the positions in the Judo Federation of BiH was offered.

Crnogorac rejects accusations

Branislav Crnogorac rejected such accusations. He told the Patria agency that the Judo Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the most trophy-winning sports collective in the country, where there is no room for malversations. About the quality of work in the Judo Federation of BiH, he added, the results of their athletes speak sufficiently. Larisa Cerić recently took the first place on the world ranking list.

ON1 is a Sarajevo judo club that works with talented young athletes. It has five national champions at this year's national championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are owners of a large number of won international medals. They hosted world-renowned athletes in Sarajevo. They initiated the introduction of judo sport in schools.