Olimpija is like a magnet for troubles: A criminal complaint has been filed against the club from the Slovenian capital, specifically for suspected criminal activity

Published on 13. February 2024 13. February 2024

Photo: NK Olimpija Ljubljana

Although three of the stigmatized footballers have already left Olimpija, SPINS union continues the battle against the club from Ljubljana. As it is already known, Marko Mijailović, Rui Pedro, Pascal Estrada, and Mustafa Nukić were removed from the team at the beginning of the preparations for the second part of the season. They had to train separately from their teammates, and they did not travel to the preparations in Turkey. Meanwhile, Mijailović, Rui Pedro, and Estrada have already left the dragons, leaving only Mustafa Nukić. Despite everything, SPINS has filed a criminal complaint with the relevant authorities!

Statement for the public from SPINS Union:

SPINS Union, through the authorized law firm Mlinar Kovačič, filed a criminal complaint with the District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ljubljana against the management of NK Olimpija Ljubljana, the sports association NK Olimpija Ljubljana, and the related legal entity FC Olimpija d.o.o. The complaint relates to the suspected commission of the criminal offense of harassment of footballers in the workplace, under the first paragraph of Article 197 of the Criminal Code (KZ-1). The initiation of a pre-investigation procedure against all suspected individuals and legal entities is proposed, followed by the filing of an indictment proposal before the competent court.

Footballers in Slovenia, in accordance with the provisions of the Sports Act (ZŠpo-1), mostly have the status of professional athletes, but at the same time, all the elements of an employment relationship are present. Based on such status, they have ensured legal protection against discrimination, termination of the contract in case of unfounded reasons for termination, and legal protection against harassment in the workplace.

As we have written in recent weeks, we are dealing with the case of four professional footballers (Marko Mijailović, Rui Pedro, Pascal Estrada, and Mustafa Nukić), whom the club’s management intentionally separated from the first team at the beginning of preparations for the spring part of the championship, humiliating and damaging them in the process. To achieve its goal and justify completely unacceptable decisions, NK Olimpija Ljubljana approached the matter in an extremely unusual, inappropriate, and malicious way, trying to prove “false” infection with the coronavirus to some players, then a sports injury based on suspicious medical documents. When none of the above worked, all four trained with the club’s youth selection. That is why the union’s decisive reaction, which always protects and stands by its members, is entirely expected and justified.

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Despite all the efforts of the union, harassment is still ongoing. Three out of four players have already mutually terminated their contracts, but Mustafa Nukić still trains completely separately from the first team. In this regard, it should be emphasized that Mijailović was forced to terminate his contract by mutual agreement a year and a half before its expiration, Estrada, after more than a year of separate training, seized the last moment of the transfer window and went to Austria, and Rui Pedro has only a handful of countries where the transfer window has not yet closed to resolve his status. Their position was also complicated by concerns about the possible liability of the new clubs in case of contract termination.

Interestingly, no participant in the field of sports in Slovenia, whether it be the most loyal fans of the club, the umbrella organization in football (NZS), or the Directorate for Sport, which operates within the Ministry of Economy, Tourism, and Sport, has condemned such reprehensible behavior of one of the top-league clubs towards professional athletes, their best players, to this day. We also wonder how it is possible for such actions to be carried out in a club where the former president of NZS and the current president of the European football association UEFA are supposed to operate. And also, what serious negative consequences such actions of clubs have on the mental health of individuals, on the perception of a healthy and safe working environment for the development of young footballers and Slovenian football in general? Stakeholders in football must seriously reflect on systemic flaws that allow sports associations to commit such gross violations of contracts and endanger the careers and health of young athletes.

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet