The renowned Montenegrin handball legend Veselin Vujović has expressed solidarity with the students in Serbia.

The former defender of Lovćen, Metaloplastika, Barcelona, and the Yugoslav national team, now coaching Qatar, has lent his support to ongoing student protests throughout Serbia, labeling the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of Aleksandar Vučić as a drug cartel.

“It’s unacceptable that someone insults the intelligentsia while we remain silent,” Vujović stated in an interview with Agency Beta.

Originating from Cetinje, he underscored that the students have demonstrated greater intelligence, moral integrity, and courage than their seniors, promising to visit Serbia soon to show his support in person.

“I feel ashamed that students had to wait to initiate change in Serbia when everyone else stood by in silence. Their parents and grandparents are silent, fearing that things could worsen. But it cannot get worse than it is now,” Vujović stressed.

For two weeks, students across Serbia have been blockading over 40 faculties and several rectories, demanding transparency regarding the investigation into the reconstruction of the Novi Sad railway station, where a tragic incident resulted in one fatality on November 15. They are also calling for the arrest of those responsible and the release of activists who were detained during the protests.

Vujović asserted that the students have disproven all stereotypes concerning today’s youth being misguided, firmly stating his full support for the student demonstrations.

He noted that anyone opposing the ruling party is subjected to ridicule and labeled an “enemy of the people”.

“The Serbian Progressive Party operates like a drug cartel, and those who disagree with their policies are labeled as enemies of the state, just as I was a few years ago when I spoke out against them,” Vujović remarked.

When asked about his expectations for the student protests, he conveyed that any change in government should come through fair and democratic elections, rather than through street protests.

“Those benefiting from this corrupt administration must be held accountable in the next elections. Students should persist until their demands are fully realized, including calls for equitable electoral conditions,” he urged.

Vujović emphasized that the government is insulting the intelligence of millions by concealing evidence related to the demolition of the Novi Sad railway station.

“We should all reflect on the promises Vučić has made over the past 12 years and evaluate which of those pledges he has fulfilled. It will soon become apparent to everyone. I trust the youth of Serbia to persist, as they have shown that there is hope for the country,” he said.

The native of Cetinje has joined several prominent sports figures endorsing the students, including basketball legend Dejan Bodiroga, former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidić, former Yugoslav striker Savo Milošević, and current Partizan goalkeeper Aleksandar Jovanović.

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