Sale Djordjevic opened his soul like never before! Bobi is not coming into the team because of forced interviews!

The selector put an end to the "Marjanovic case"

The selector of the Serbian national team, Aleksandar Djordjevic, has finally stopped all guessing and speculations and via statement officially reported that Boban Marjanovic will not be a part of the team that will go to the Olympics in Rio.

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We are publishing the statement in its entirety:

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After much deliberation, i decided to address the public over this statement

I WANTED TO INCLUDE BOBI INTO TEAM FOR TWO YEARS

I hope i wont be tiresome, not even a part of that how much the sports media was in the last few days with unnecessary controversy, which do not belong in press, but only in some school yard. But, let me begin...

The main task of the selector of the senior national basketball team of Serbia is to chose the best and the most appropriate people, who have the quality and required form for the upcoming competition (whatever it may be), and the ones that want to make themselves available to the team and accept the decisions about the team composition without restrictions. In basketball, from the list of starting 24 players, when the training starts the list narrows down to 16 and fight to enter the top 12.

Many times, if not always, the chosen 12 are not the crew of 12 BEST, but the team of 12 who PLAY BEST TOGETHER.

As a selector, i wanted to get Marjanovic to play for the national team for two years and i tried to include him in playing with the team and every time i can't make my intentions true.

After the silver medal in World championship, it was logical to replace players like Krstic (he gave his farewells to the national team) and Katic (he played in the same club and got the advantage over Marjanovic) with Boban and make a plan, natural shift in generations on that position, needed to continue with good results.

I CALLED BOBI, HE IS MY CHOICE, AND HE HAS NEVER BEEN A PERMANENT NATIONAL TEAM PLAYER

To make something clear - Marjanovic is mine and MINE choice only, because before i became a selector, he was never a steady candidate/national player but only temporary, playing very different for his clubs for many years.

Until today he was a member of the senior national team on only one big competition, in 2011 on the European championship in Lithuania when Serbia placed eight (total 25 appearances including preparatory matches) with not much time and the role in the selector Ivkovic team, who chose other players in that position from 2008 till 2013.

Marjanovic is a great guy and a player who played the last season in Red Star very well and who's characteristics, both as a man and as a player, are very needed, and which were missing in the last European championship in 2015, where he could show his quality and help the team and the teammates in getting an even better results.

Unfortunately, he was not here.

IT WAS A STRANGE DECISION TO GO TO USA LAST YEAR WHEN AN INJURY WAS FOUND

We all know how he started the preparations, he trained with full power without any injury for 10 days, and after a very strange decision, he traveled to USA where they found a very characteristic disease of all athletes - "the possibility to get injured".

For all players, coaches, medical and basketball workers, and i believe the fans too, was humiliating when because it insults the human intelligence, sports ethics and competition, and us as a team, directly weakened. Our disappointment was immeasurable because we felt like we had no possibility to defend from the influence of others.

BOBI TOLD ME PERSONALLY IN THE CONVERSATION THAT HE IS READY, AND THEN CANCELED A DAY BEFORE THE GATHERING 

This year, Marjanovic accepted my invitation and in the direct conversation 20 days before the start of the training and seven days before publishing the team of 16, he ensured me that he is ready, willing, motivated and wishes to help the preparations and fight for his place in the team, he pointed out that, like every other player, he wants to go to the Olympics. However, it was all verbiage because he canceled ONLY A DAY before the gathering of the team and the first training.

It is the obligation of the player to notify the Basketball Association of Serbia about possible leave BEFORE the publishing of the 16 names (something similar happened in 2014 when Velickovic also canceled after the publishing of the 16 list).

HE TOLD ME HE HAD A GREAT FEAR OF INJURY, SO HE CAN NOT GIVE HIS 100%

Explaining his cancellation on the phone, one night before the gathering, fear of injury and the need to sign a new contract (on which i congratulate him), and only then to make himself available to the team, Marjanovic said that he can not come to the preparations this year, because he has a great fear of injury.

When an athlete or the national team player has any fear, it is impossible for him to go out on the field and be the fearless competitor that want to win giving his 100%, together with his teammates. When the player doesn't want, or can't play due to fear for the national team, i understand that - but i do not support it and i don't like it.

However, i must accept it. Every cancellation reason is utterly legitimate. It is necessary  to arrive in the right way and in the right time, with maximum respect to the institution called National team.

I WILL CALL HIM IN 2017 IF HIS FEAR OF INJURY GOES AWAY

To be honest, i hope that fear passed and that he will finally accept the invitation in 2017, as he promised me on the phone, and will try to fight for the place in the national team for the next competition.

In the end, to conclude and i promise i won't say anything more on this subject.

HE WAS "FORCED" INTO THE TEAM IN THE WRONG WAY BY THE MEDIA

Over the media, the player is "pushed" in the team in entirely wrong way. They called for him, wanted him, opened all doors for him and gave him the possibility to be the part of the Serbian Olympic team, the team that the coach is believing in his players. In that team one can enter only over the court, play and with behavior.

The team is not lying, as well as the court is not lying. You can't get into the team with media announcements, surveys, Twitter or forced interviews, especially not over manager. The team, as already know, with the silver on the World championship and fourth place in the European championship, has won the participation in Olympic games in Rio and continues with its further work.

In the team, as everybody already know, we have from the start of the preparations 6-7 players with no contract, who give their best, as well as do those with contract. Zagorac left the team, with his own decision, after the finals with Puerto Rico. There are rules in the team and nobody can question them. There is unity about every setup and decision. One earns the place in the team. The team does not give any presents and doesn't ask for any. We are THAT team!

Selector of the Serbian male senior national team.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS: 

- Boban Marjanovic marked as one of the key players from the selector with Nikola Jokic before the start of the preparations for the qualification tournament

- Night before the gathering Bobi called Djordjevic and with the shiver in his voice told him he can not play because he did not secure his contract in the NBA league.

- Serbia has dominantly won the first place in the qualification tournament without Marjanovic

- Djordjevic said that he won't call for any additional players right after the victory over Puerto Rico and secured visa for Rio

- Boban Marjanovic signed a three year contract with Detroit worth 21 million euros.

- Marjanovic having second thoughts after the signing of the contract in NBA league and states that he would love to play in Rio for the national team.

- Pressure starts building on the selector, Bobi's manager Misko Raznatovic calls and ask how come there were additional invites into the national team in other countries and not in Serbia.

- Djordjevic in his interview for Politika states that he will not bow to pressure and he will stay firm.

- Djordjevic officially states that Boban Marjanovic will not go to Rio.

(Telegraf.co.uk)