A major crisis has erupted in Serbian water polo after a large group of the country’s senior national team stars announced they will no longer represent Serbia while newly elected federation president Slobodan Soro remains in charge.
The statement, signed by captain Nikola Jakšić alongside several of Serbia’s biggest names, was released publicly on Wednesday evening and comes less than a week after Soro was voted in as president of the Serbian Water Polo Federation.
Among the players who signed the statement are Dušan Mandić, Strahinja Rašović, Viktor Rašović, Nikola Dedović, Nemanja Vico, Radomir Drašović, Sava Ranđelović and Radoslav Filipović — effectively the core of the current Serbian national team.
“After much thought and many discussions, we have unanimously decided to withdraw from playing for the Serbian national team as long as Slobodan Soro and his people remain at its head,” the players wrote.
The statement describes the decision as “extremely difficult”, stressing that representing Serbia has always been “the greatest honour and privilege” for them.
However, the players accuse Soro and his associates of attempting to discredit and undermine the achievements of the national team for personal interests.
“Such people must not be at the head of the most decorated national team in Serbia,” the statement added.
The release marks one of the most dramatic public disputes in the history of Serbian water polo, a nation widely regarded as the sport’s modern powerhouse.
Over the past decade, Serbia has dominated international water polo, winning three consecutive Olympic gold medals and multiple European and World titles. Many of the players involved in the statement formed the backbone of that historic success.
The group also directly criticised comments allegedly made by Soro regarding the team’s recent achievements, rejecting any suggestion that Serbia’s success was the result of temporary inspiration rather than years of sacrifice, work and unity.
“Our gold medals were not the result of momentary inspiration, as Slobodan Soro claims, but years of sacrifice, training, togetherness and struggle,” the players wrote.
The statement also revisits previous tensions connected to VK Novi Beograd, where several Serbian internationals previously experienced disputes involving training bans, exclusions and issues surrounding national team participation. While no specific incidents were named in detail, the players claim those actions harmed both team unity and Serbian water polo itself.
One of the strongest sections of the statement accuses Soro of repeatedly attempting to belittle Serbia’s achievements over recent years.
The players additionally stated that they believe Serbia deserves federation leadership that will:
- defend the interests of the national team,
- respect the trophies won,
- value the players’ sacrifices,
- and continue building the future of Serbian water polo.
The timing is highly significant.
Soro, a former elite goalkeeper who previously represented both Serbia and Brazil internationally, was elected president of the Serbian Water Polo Federation last week following major political changes within the sport. His appointment immediately divided opinion across Serbian water polo circles, particularly given his close association with VK Novi Beograd and several long-running disputes involving national team players.
This latest statement now places the future of the Serbian national team in serious uncertainty ahead of the next international cycle.
Should the boycott remain in place, Serbia could potentially lose much of the core group that delivered Olympic gold in Tokyo and Paris, as well as recent European success.
At this stage, neither Soro nor the Serbian Water Polo Federation has issued an official response to the players’ statement.
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