Encrypted communications obtained by journalists reveal serious allegations that the former president of the Football Union of Serbia, Slavisa Kokezaallegedly prepared a campaign of threats and intimidation aimed at the legendary Serbian football player Nemanja Vidicand plans for physical attacks and even liquidation are mentioned in the conversations.
According to the published information, the reason for such plans was the public criticism that Vidic directed at the then leadership of the FSS after the failure of the Serbian national team to secure a place at the European Championship in November 2020. The correspondence states that Kokeza feared that the former captain of Serbia could run for the top position in the Union, which is why he allegedly began to seek support from people connected to fan and criminal structures.
The conversations, conducted through the now defunct encrypted platform “Sky”, reveal plans to put pressure on Vidic, intimidate him and attack former national team members who publicly stood behind him. Although the identity of all participants in the correspondence has not been officially confirmed, the content suggests that they are prominent Red Star fans and people connected to the Serbian underground, which reopens questions about the links between football, organized crime and political influence.
Some of the messages mention direct threats addressed to Vidić, with messages that he should withdraw from football politics or face serious consequences. According to the correspondence, threats to his family were also discussed if he tried to take over the leading position in the FSS.
In another communication, Kokeza allegedly asked a person he refers to as “the godfather” to provide people in Milan, where Vidic was living at the time, to carry out intimidation. A reply stated that they were in contact with “serious guys” and it was later claimed that the former footballer’s car had been fitted with a tracking device.
The messages also discuss the possibility of organizing physical intimidation through financial compensation in order for Vidic to stop speaking publicly and to distance himself from the events in the Union. Although there is no evidence that these plans were implemented, the content of the communication indicates that they were elaborated.
On December 1, 2020, one of the individuals in the correspondence informed Kokeza that the potential targets had been located and requested the green light to begin the action. The answer was to wait, on the grounds that everything should not happen at the same time because of the possible public outcry. A few days later, the action was put on hold pending their personal meeting. A few months later, Kokeza resigned from the position of FSS president.
After the journalists introduced him to the content of the correspondence, Nemanja Vidic stated that he was never informed about the possible plans to intimidate him and that the competent institutions in Serbia did not warn him of such a threat.
“This is catastrophic for society and for all of us. The greatest responsibility lies with the police, the prosecution, the judiciary and those who allow such people to come to positions of power,” said Vidic.
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