ĆOSIĆ: SARAJEVO AGAIN SHOWED INTOLERANCE TOWARD DIVERSITY

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, NOVEMBER 5 /SRNA/ - Istočno Sarajevo Mayor Ljubiša Ćosić told SRNA that Sarajevo once again showed its face of intolerance toward others and those who are different, noting that sports should be a bridge connecting people, not a means of division and hatred.

"Instead of allowing sport to be a bridge that connects people and builds trust, Sarajevo is once again sending a message of division, hatred, and exclusion," Ćosić said.

According to Ćosić, calls for protests over a match between teams from Israel and the United Arab Emirates show how deeply politicisation has taken hold of society in Sarajevo and the Federation of BiH.

"Instead of allowing young people to watch the game and cheer for sport, some want to teach them to see an enemy in everything. Sport must never be a place for politics, and certainly not for hatred. Sport is, and should remain, a space for fair competition, not a means of transferring global conflicts onto local fields," Ćosić said.

He emphasized that Istočno Sarajevo will continue to be a place where everyone is respected, regardless of where they come from or what their name is.

A group of citizens entered the lobby of the Sarajevo Canton Government building today, demanding that Sarajevo cancel its hospitality toward the basketball club Hapoel from Tel Aviv, which is scheduled to play a EuroLeague game against Dubai tomorrow at the Zetra Sports Hall.

The EuroLeague match was moved to Sarajevo from Dubai, as the United Arab Emirates does not allow Israeli clubs to play on its territory due to the conflict in Gaza.