Luka Jovic is trapped in Serbia and without the option of returning to Spain for a time still undetermined. This morning the local government led by Aleksandar Vucic has decreed the closure of borders. As occurs in many countries around the European Union, only returnees can enter the country. The measure, sources report Air Serbia consulted by ACE, it has been taken without there being any date to return to normal. The period that the striker of Real Madrid You will have to remain in your country, therefore, it is unknown.
It was already even before his secret journey to Belgrade with (alleged) permission from Real Madrid. Last Wednesday the European Union also closed its borders. Serbia does not belong to the community space, so for all intents and purposes it is a third country whose citizens, since then, since Wednesday, cannot enter the territory of the EU.
Only exceptional flights
The closure of Serbia it is absolute. Not by land, not by air. Commercial flights have been canceled and only airplanes with merchandise, authorities or medical personnel are allowed to move. The last regular flight that landed this morning at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport landed at 5:20 and was from New York.
Shortly thereafter, an A330 left for Shanghai to acquire supplies of medical supplies. A plane will also depart for Amsterdam, which, after passing through Paris, will repatriate Serbian citizens trapped in these airports. These two flights, both from Air Serbia, are the only ones that have permission to fly today. Even private jets, like the one Jovic used, are not allowed to leave or enter the country.
Outrage against Jovic
Remember, Jovic was yesterday criminally denounced by the Serbian Prosecutor's Office, the local agency reported Tanjug, after having skipped the mandatory quarantine to which the authorities had forced him. If convicted, he faces a hefty fine and even prison terms ranging from 1 to 12 years in prison.
The Real Madrid footballer arrived in Belgrade last Friday after the club (according to the version of the player and Madrid) had given him permission. The reason: to take care of his son David, barely a year old, in Belgrade, yes, complying with the restrictive quarantine to which the local authorities forced him. Since last Monday, every citizen who entered Serbia from Italy, Spain or France has been obliged to stay at home, in quarantine, for a period of 14 days. Jovic bypassed the ban.
The battering ram, according to sources from the Prosecutor's Office, was seen by the Vracar neighborhood, in the heart of Belgrade, where he has his apartment. Despite the fact that the footballer excused himself saying that he was not well informed of the restrictions, the truth is that nobody in Serbia believes him. The entire country was aware of these harsh measures for returnees. Jovic himself, his family or his advisory team should have said something to him.
Hence the deep outrage against the footballer. Public opinion in the Balkan country believes that the player put at risk the health of its citizens being able to help spread the Covid-19 coronavirus despite the fact that, always according to the footballer's version, two tests were performed and both were negative.
Threat of arrest
A discomfort that they expressed, without expressly citing the player, but knowing clearly that he was referring to him, the highest institutions in the country. The last to speak, but the one who used the most force in his criticism, was the president. Aleksandar Vucic, who at a press conference threatened with the arrest of Jovic himself and other elite players who have returned to Serbia and who have not evaded government orders.
“One is in a hotel (he refers to Ninkolic, from Series B Ascoli) and the other is in his apartment (in Jovic's case). If either of you leaves these premises, you will be arrested. I think they both regret what they've done, but I'll make it clear that Our people's lives are much more important than their millions. Despite everything, we are not going to crucify anyone, “said the Vucic.
Sources consulted by ACE They confirm that Nemanja Radonjic, winger of Olympique de Marseille, is another of the elite athletes who has returned to Serbia and has skipped the quarantine obligation. Yesterday the Interior Minister confirmed first thing on television Prva that there were criminal complaints against 80 people, including known “athletes and millionaires”.