Serbian basketball fan succumbs to stab wounds
Marko Ivkovic, 25, was in Istanbul to support Belgrade team Crvena Zvezda-Red Star against Turkey's Galatasaray LIV in a Euro league basketball match
ISTANBUL
A Serbian fan who was stabbed during a basketball match in Istanbul a day before died Saturday morning, Turkish police said.
Marko Ivkovic, 25, was at the Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul to support his Belgrade team Crvena Zvezda-Red Star against the Turkish team Galatasaray LIV in the Turkish Airlines Euro League basketball match on Friday evening.
Ivkovic was stabbed in the chest at around 19:30 p.m. local Turkish time when an argument between rival fans turned violent after Red Star fans allegedly arrived at the venue without tickets for the game, the Istanbul police department’s statement said.
The violence began with rival team fans throwing stones and bottles at each other, the statement added.
Police had made efforts to keep the two sides apart and Red Star supporters were moved away to a side. However, despite the efforts, the young Red Star fan was stabbed, the statement said.
Galatasaray had won the match 110-103 in double overtime.
The Serbian basketball team also released a condolence message for the victim.
Turkish PM vows to nab killer of Serbian basketball fan
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu offered condolences to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in a telephone call Saturday over the death of a Serbian basketball fan who was stabbed to death in Istanbul.
Basketball fan Marko Ivkovic, 25, was stabbed in the chest at the Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul where he had gone to support his Belgrade team Crvena Zvezda-Red Star in the Turkish Airlines Euro League match against the Turkish team Galatasaray LIV Friday evening. Ivkovic succumbed to his wounds early Saturday morning.
According to a statement from the Serbian prime minister’s office, Davutoglu assured Vucic that Turkish authorities would do everything to arrest the perpetrator of the attack and bring him to justice as soon as possible.
Vucic expressed his astonishment over the incident and urged the Turkish premier to find the murderer of the Serbian citizen soon and award him severe punishment.
Also, the Serbian prime minister denounced Turkey’s Galatasaray LIV Basketball Club manager, Ergin Ataman, for calling Serbian fans "terrorists".
News media in the Balkans also featured the story of the attack on the Serbian fan prominently in their papers and websites.
The B92 news site in Serbia said the 400 Red Star fans were attacked three times in Istanbul, first at the gas station, then around the Arena and then in front of the Arena.
The Novosti paper alleged that tickets were not sold to Red Star fans that went to Istanbul to support their team.
The Glas Srpske paper claimed that Galatasaray supporters attacked Serbian fans with torches and stones.
On the west side of Balkans, Croatian newspaper Jutarnji said the tragedy in Istanbul overshadowed the match. The report quoted Consul General of Serbia in Istanbul Zoran Markovic as saying "Turkish doctors fought like lions to save the stabbed fan, but despite all efforts, he could not be saved."
The Red Star basketball club also marked the unfortunate accident on its official web site with a condolence message.
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