Red Star Belgrade fans unveiled a tifo depicting convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic prior to their derby match against Partizan Belgrade on Sunday. Mladic, who died in August while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, was honored by supporters during the match.
Mladic was sentenced in 2017 for his role in the wars in the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 1995, during which he oversaw the Srebrenica massacre and the siege of Sarajevo. Despite his convictions, Mladic remains a figure of admiration for some in Serbia, with thousands attending his funeral in Belgrade.
This is not the first instance of Red Star fans displaying support for Mladic. The club was previously fined 90,000 euros by UEFA after supporters displayed a banner commemorating Mladic during a Europa League play-off match against FC Viktoria Plzen. Red Star's social media accounts published a video of the tifo and a moment of silence observed for Mladic, accompanied by a saluting emoji, which drew criticism. The official Twitter account of Bosnia-Herzegovina's national team responded negatively to the club's post.