Aleksandar Šapić, the head of Novi Beograd and the Mayor of Belgrade, has sparked controversy after verbally attacking referees during last weekend’s Regional Water Polo League match between Novi Beograd and Jadran Split.

According to Serbian outlet Danas.rs, Šapić directed vulgar insults at the match officials following the closely contested game on Saturday, October 5th.

The incident occurred after the conclusion of the second-round match, which Novi Beograd won in a dramatic 18:17 penalty shootout. Šapić reportedly approached the scorer’s table and began hurling insults at referees Stanko Ivanovski and Veselin Mišković.

Match delegate Dragan Rajevic, who documented the incident in an additional report submitted to the head of the Regional League’s Competition Committee, Milivoj Bebić, provided a detailed account of the verbal abuse. Rajevic’s report, seen by Danas.rs, quoted Šapić’s words, which included:

“F*** your mother; motherf******; You won’t be coming to officiate in Belgrade again; Is this how you officiate in Croatia? You won’t f*** with my club,”* among other vulgar and degrading insults.

Despite the shocking nature of the incident, the referees declined to file a formal disciplinary report against Šapić, despite encouragement from Rajevic.

In his report, Rajevic expressed concern about the potential consequences of Šapić’s behaviour, warning that such incidents could escalate into physical altercations, which would be damaging to the sport.

Rajevic further noted that while Šapić holds no official position within the club, his actions as a spectator were disruptive enough to warrant a potential ban from future Novi Beograd matches, according to water polo regulations.

The referees’ own report confirmed that Šapić approached them at the scorer’s table and later at the door of their dressing room, continuing to insult them over their officiating. He accused them of attempting to humiliate him at his home pool and questioned whether they would dare to officiate in the same manner in Croatia. The referees described the tirade as lasting several minutes.

The match itself was a nail-biter, with Novi Beograd edging out Jadran Split in a thrilling penalty shootout. However, the post-match incident overshadowed the result, casting a dark shadow over what should have been a celebration of a hard-fought victory.