Red Star Belgrade fans displayed a huge banner honoring Ratko Mladić during the derby against Partizan. The banner was raised in the stadium as a tribute to the Serbian military leader.
Ratko Mladić died in August while serving a life sentence for war crimes. The former military leader was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.
Mladić was the commander of the Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War (1992-1995), a period during which some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II occurred. His trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia lasted several years.
The Red Star fans' tribute to the war criminal generated controversy, given the context of the derby between the two biggest clubs in Serbia. The match between Red Star and Partizan is one of the most intense in European football, both in sporting rivalry and in historical and political terms.
