The Croatian national parties in Montenegro, which these days are questioning the renaming of the City Swimming Pool in Kotor, a few years ago when they were part of the state and municipal government in that city, did not bring the name of the famous water polo player Zoran Gopčević into a negative context.
By the decision of the councilors in the Kotor Municipality Assembly a few days ago, the name of the swimming pool in Škaljar was changed from "Nikša Bućin", which this sports facility has had since its construction, to "Zoran Džimi Gopčević".
Gopčević was the captain of Kotor's "Primorac" for many years, with whom he won the double crown in SFRY in 1986. He also had a notable representative career in Yugoslavia, and with his games and attitude towards the club, he earned the status of a sports legend and one of the best Montenegrin water polo players. However, due to his engagement as a JNA reservist, in the post of guard commander in the camp in Morinje for Croatian prisoners of war that the JNA brought here from the Dubrovnik battlefield in the fall of 1991, the political party Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) publicly stood up against the naming of the Kotor pool after Gopčević. and the Croatian National Council of Montenegro (HNV).
HNV headed by Zvonimir Deković, who is also the vice president of HGI, first requested that the renaming of the swimming pool in Škaljar be abandoned until all the circumstances related to its role in the "Morinj" camp are investigated. They warned that "those planning to make such a decision should be aware of the long-term consequences; Croatian sports clubs would certainly be displeased and such a decision would not have an affirmative effect on the already well-established and friendly communication between Dubrovnik and Kotor as two neighboring cities".
However, as can be seen from the reports available on the internet, the name of Zoran Gopčević did not bother Croatian clubs before, so Zagreb's VK "Medvešćak" played in the "Zoran Gopčević" Memorial Tournament in 2013 in Kotor.
HGI, whose members and high-ranking officials are dominantly part of HNV, has not previously questioned Gopčević. Thus, on November 27, 2015, while HGI was part of the ruling coalition with DPS, SDP and LP in that municipality, precisely on the proposal of the joint city administration of those parties, the Kotor Municipality decided to name one of the streets in the Kotor settlement Orahovac, Zorana Street Gopcevic.
The decision was unanimously adopted by the 18 councilors of the ruling coalition present in the hall, among whom was the then councilor of HGI, according to documents that "Vijesti" had access to.
Just two months later, on January 29, 2016, the party media of HGI and HNV, Radio Dux from Tivat, published a reminder that on that date "1955. born Montenegrin water polo ace Zoran Džimi Gopčević..."
Pavle Vičevič, the famous water polo coach and father of the long-time president of the Croatian Civic Society of Montenegro and former member of HNV Mirko Vičević (also a famous water polo player), publicly advocated in July of last year that the Kotor swimming pool be named after Zoran Gopčević.
"That idea has been in my mind for a long time, at the beginning of the year I made that proposal at the board of the Assembly of the water polo academy 'Cattaro', where practically all former teammates, coaches and managers of 'Primorac', from the golden era of Zoran Gopčević, are. The idea was accepted to general satisfaction and sent to the competent authorities in the Municipality. Here and in the region, similar facilities bear the names of water polo players, such as Dragan Trifunović in Budva, Milan Gale Muškatirović in Belgrade, and Vlaho Orlić in Croatia. The reconstruction of the pool is coming to an end and this is the right moment for the pool to bear the name of an exceptional water polo player and man, such as Zoran Gopčević," Vičević Sr. told Radio Kotor on July 28 last year.
About Zoran Gopčević and his games as part of Kotor's "Primorac" was written with respect a few years ago in the feature "Century of water polo in Kotor" published by the magazine "Hrvatski glasnik, from Kotor", published by the Croatian Civic Society of Montenegro.
In the camp "Morinj" in 1991-92. were detained civilians who were arrested by JNA reservists in houses around Konavle, and a small number of captured defectors of the Croatian armed forces that were then defending Dubrovnik. They later testified about the various abuses they endured during captivity, and the High Court in Podgorica sentenced four former JNA reservists to 12 years in prison for war crimes and inhumane treatment. Gopčević, who died in 2000, was never prosecuted, nor was his role and behavior as one of the commanders of the guard ever completely and reliably clarified because there are contradictory testimonies.
Related Articles
The HNV, when three days ago the councilors in the Kotor municipality decided to name the swimming pool after Zoran Gopčević, assessed it as a "hasty and unreasonable act, which does not benefit the good neighborly relations of Croatia and Montenegro, and is perceived as unreasonable by the members of the Croatian people in Montenegro".
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia condemned the decision of the Kotor Assembly to name the public winter swimming pool in Kotor "Zoran Džimi Gopčević".
At the time, they announced that "it is unacceptable that a public object is named after the guard of the infamous camp" and that it is not in the spirit of good neighborly relations.
Bonus video:
