RATKO VARDA S STATEMENT

I am extremely sorry for the incident that has occurred on today’s game against Efes, and particularly since now that game is lost and the chances for winning the title are lower. I wish to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to my friends from the club, club management and particularly to a big army of fans who support my club, for my non-exemplary behavior when I threw my jersey on the floor. With this act I had no intention to disdain the jersey of the club where I spent an unforgettable season, or to insult club fans, which supported me throughout the season in the manner I had never experienced in my career before. Although I do not want to seek justification for what I did, I would like to point out that I played the game with intensified stress caused by unpleasant event that happened to my family in Belgrade. Namely, a day before the game there was a robbery of my apartment in Belgrade where my wife and two daughters, almost babies were. I spent the entire weekend fearing the consequences that could have happened during that appalling event. Exactly such stress fueled by the tension which is typical for play-off finals, as well as my immense wish to even the final series led to such an act. I wish to apologize once again to everyone, and hope that the Club management might change its decision and let me try to contribute to the title winning in the coming games. Yet, should it not be so, I will understand any decision, and this disagreeable event shall definitely not leave a dot in my memories to the best season I have had in my career, as well as to the heartiest fan support I have ever experienced. Ratko Varda BC Besiktas