The players of English Preston North End will wear black flor on their hands today in the match of the 26th round of the English Championship against Oxford United.
The reason is - the tragedy in Cetinje, in which 12 people died, including two children, and the initiator is - Milutin Osmajić, a member of the Montenegrin national team, a football player of a team from the north of England.
The tragedy that shook Montenegro caused an unprecedented sadness, which has no borders - it echoed even in England, and the management of the club from "Deepdale", founded way back in 1880, i.e. 145 years ago, had no dilemma whether to accept the idea of their striker, Milutin Osmajić.
- On the occasion of the tragic event in Cetinje, I would like to express my condolences to the families of the deceased, and wish the injured a speedy recovery. Also, I have the obligation to express sincere condolences to the families of the deceased from the club management, my teammates from Preston, as well as the fans, who accepted this sad news from my Montenegro with disbelief and sadness - said Milutin Osmajić.
The 25-year-old from Nikšić became a member of the English Championship team in 2023, when he arrived from Cadiz, Spain. He grew up in Sutjeska, from where he transferred directly to Cadiz on July 10, 2021, which was then a member of the elite Spanish La Liga. During 2022 and 2023, he played on loan in Turkish Bandirmaspor and Portuguese Visela.
In 56 games for Preston last season and this season, in all competitions, he scored 15 goals.
Today, his 56th match for the "invincibles", as the team is nicknamed, will be the saddest...
- As a sign of respect for the victims and an expression of support for the families of the victims of this tragic event, the club's management, as well as the players, decided to honor the deceased by playing with black armbands in the match against Oskford United - added Osmajić.
This gesture of the English club brings back the memory of the summer and the European Championship when the Slovenian national team - the only ones at that Euro - wore black flor in the match against Denmark due to the sudden and premature death of Montenegrin goalkeeper Matija Šarkić.
A tragedy happened in Cetinje, and football unites and unites again. And knows no bounds...
Osmajić played 26 games for the national team of Montenegro, scoring two goals.
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