On the day of the incident, when a Galatasaray fan killed Crvena Zvezda fan Marko Ivkovic in 2014, Ergin Ataman called Ivkovic and other Zvezda fans terrorists, causing an international scandal. Even though he later apologized, stating that he didn't know about the loss of life, the phrase is engraved deep in Serbian fans' hearts.
Wednesday night's game between Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade and Anadolu Efes Istanbul featured an episode between head coach Ergin Ataman and the Serbian fans resulting from an 8-year-old story that the locals still hold in their hearts.
The Turkish tactician received two technical fouls arguing about referee calls and non-calls. Throughout the entire process, Crvena Zvezda fans were chanting 'F--k you, Ataman'. The next day, Ataman called their behavior an embarrassment to the EuroLeague.
The story behind the chants goes back 8 years, when Ataman was still the head coach of Galatasaray Istanbul. The two parties had nothing between them, but everything changed on November 21st, 2014.
Crvena Zvezda were playing a EuroLeague away game in Turkey against Galatasaray. As is usual in the competition, home teams have to allow at least a certain number of away fans into the arena. However, this was not the case before the match.
Around 400 Zvezda fans arrived in Istanbul ready to support their team. Mostly consisting of the Delije ultras group members, they were not allowed to enter the Abdi Ipekci Arena due to tickets not being issued to them.
The group started marching on the nearby street, blocking the traffic. With the match supposed to start at 20:00 local time, the fans of both teams clashed near the venue at around 19:30. That's when tragedy struck.
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