Greek, Serbian Basketball Fans To Come To İstanbul After Stabbing Death

Reactions to the fatal stabbing of Red Star Belgrade fan Marko Ivkovic before the basketball team's Nov. 21 Euroleague game with Galatasaray are in danger of spinning out of control, with Greek and Serbian fans planning to make their presence known in Turkey.

The news of Ivkovic's death outside İstanbul's Abdi İpekçi Arena caused a storm on social media, with Red Star fans planning to join fans of Greek team Olympiacos to come to İstanbul on Dec. 18. Tensions were heightened by remarks from a priest at Ivkovic's memorial ceremony saying the Serb had become a martyr for the Orthodox faith, adding, "We have a new Milos Obilic," a reference to the Serbian assassin of Ottoman Sultan Murad I.

Following the memorial service for Ivkovic, a protest was held outside the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade. Serbian police have taken strict safety measures outside the embassy.

According to reports, fans of Olympiacos, which is in the same group as Galatasaray, have also joined the controversy. Members of the Olympiacos fan group "Gate 7" and the Red Star fan group "Delije" have showered each other with messages of support over social media. Fans of both clubs are believed to be planning to attend the Galatasaray-Olympiacos match in İstanbul scheduled for Dec. 19.

Possible face-off in next round

If Anadolu Efes, Fenerbahçe Ülker and Red Star all make it to the next round of the Euroleague, there is a possibility that the Serbs will face one of the Turkish teams. This would mean that a Turkish team would once again be playing away in Belgrade, and that the Serbs would also return to Turkey.

FK Partizan is set to play Fenerbahçe's sister club, Novi Pazar, in the Serbia Super League next week. Following the events surrounding Ivkovic's death, Novi Pazar's match with Vozdovac in Belgrade was canceled. It is now rumored that around 500 Partizan fans will follow the team as it plays away. The worst effects of the events may fall on Novi Pazar.

Homage to Obilic

During Ivkovic's memorial service, which was held at St. Mark's Church in Belgrade, priest Jovan Blagojevic said: "Marko Ivkovic is a martyr, and now we have another Milos Obilic. We'll never forget him."

Members of the "Delije" fan group posted pictures of Obilic on Twitter soon after it became clear that Ivkovic had been killed. Obilic was a Serbian nobleman believed to have killed Ottoman Sultan Murad I, and he has been considered a hero by Serbs for hundreds of years, with many statues of him in the country. The Serbian FK Obilic club carries his name.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray, Red Star and Olympiacos fans have been stoking the fire on social media. Many worry that the situation is becoming increasingly more dangerous, as fans are threatening to "settle the score" with each other.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)