"Total disaster, collapse": The frustration in Belgrade after the elimination against Hapoel Be'er Sheva
The local media attacked: "Red Star embarrassed itself, the Champions League is not for Red Star". Coach Dejan Stankovic announced his resignation after the loss.
In Serbia, the elimination from the Champions League qualifiers by Hapoel Be'er Sheva was taken very hard, with reports indicating that coach Dejan Stankovic is already on his way out. Following the elimination, the Serbian champion will face the Czech Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League playoffs, hoping to secure a ticket to the second-best competition on the continent.
"Disaster, total collapse," wrote the local "Informer". "Red Star embarrassed itself." Another headline read: "The Champions League is not for Red Star, Hapoel Be'er Sheva threw the painful reality in the face of the Serbian champion and sends it to a pair of matches against Viktoria."
As mentioned, following the pair of losses, Stankovic resigned. Earlier, the coach was sent off from the game when his team was trailing 1:0, and on the way to the locker room, he confronted the fans.
"Stankovic informed the players of his decision after the game," it was written in a report on "Sportal". "But he also announced it earlier, because he wanted to qualify for the Champions League, and considering that he failed to get there, he kept his promise and left."
The players also received a cold shoulder from the fans. When they approached at the end of the game to thank the supporters, one of the people in the stands went down to the pitch and ordered Mirko Ivanic and his teammates to make their way to the locker room. Ivanic and the Red Star players looked at him at first, and then turned around and left the pitch.
"After the disgrace against the Israelis, the fans also turned their backs on the players," was written on one of the Serbian sites. "To say that the fans are not satisfied would be an understatement, as the expectations from the team this summer were very high. At some point, chants of 'Management out' were even heard in the stands. Earlier, during the half-time, whistles were heard from the east and west stands due to the poor performance."
