The EuroLeague has handed out severe sanctions to Crvena zvezda and Partizan following the disorder at the Belgrade derby, played on 22 October in the seventh round of Europe's premier basketball competition. The two biggest Serbian clubs must pay a combined total of 164,000 euros.
Crvena zvezda has been fined 115,000 euros. The EuroLeague disciplinary bodies penalised the club for incidents that endangered the physical safety of those present, offensive behaviour by fans, the use of laser pointers, throwing objects onto the court, unauthorised entry onto the pitch, and insufficient security measures. Crvena zvezda fans are banned from attending the next five away EuroLeague matches. According to the schedule, the Belgrade club is due to visit Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Olimpia Milano, Barcelona and Fenerbahce.
Partizan, who were the home organisers of the match, must pay 49,000 euros. The EuroLeague cites the use of pyrotechnics and lasers, offensive fan behaviour, throwing objects onto the court, spectators entering the court, and inadequate security measures. The club has also been given a conditional penalty restricting arena capacity during the 2026/27 season. The conditional penalty will be activated in the event of a repeat of the breach of Article 29.1.f of the EuroLeague Disciplinary Regulations. The decision did not specify by how much the arena capacity would be reduced.
The match was played at the Belgrade Arena, where Partizan won 85:82 after extra time. Before the start of the game, there was a physical clash between fans and police, and during the match, fans of both clubs threw lit torches at each other. At one point, Partizan decided to close the entrances to the Belgrade Arena for safety reasons. Organisers assessed that there was a danger of new riots if further entry of spectators was allowed, so only exits from the arena were permitted until the end of the match.
On the court, Partizan had a lead of as many as 18 points, but Crvena zvezda came back to force extra time with a score of 75:75. In the additional five minutes, the visitors took the lead 82:79, but Carlik Jones hit a three-pointer to level the score. Alessandro Pajola’s three-pointer 17 seconds before the end gave Partizan the 85:82 victory.
