On the opposite side, the Cetinje Football Sub-Association continued as before. Ignoring the condemnations, the Sub-Association's Board of Directors announced that "only the Serbian Football Association is our legal higher sports authority," praising Balšić's loyal and sporting demeanor.
At the end of March 1940, the CNP announced the schedule for the spring part of the championship, with a planned timeframe from 7 April to 14 July 1940. The clubs, 27 of them, including those from the part of Herzegovina that belonged to the Zeta banate, were divided into three classes. The first consisted of: Balšić, Crnogorac, Crnojević, Sloga, Obilić, Jugoslavija, Jugosloven, Arsenal and Trebinje's Leotar and Jugoslavija.
Montenegro is placed in the third, lowest quality rank, and was scheduled to open the championship on June 23 with a match against Bjelogorac from Ulcinj. Politika notes that “Montenegro from Podgorica and Sloga from Cetinje are in good form, and will probably upset many people's accounts”.
It is not possible to reconstruct the form and extent of the championship based on the existing newspaper articles. Although there is no information about any of its matches in the lower ranks, Montenegro, instead of the third, played directly in the final of the first group of the first grade, having fought off Balšić in the matches mentioned earlier. This earned them the right to play with Arsenal for the Podsavez champion. It is not known how the first match, which was scheduled for 26 May in Tivat, ended. In the return match, held on 31 May 1940, the Tivat team celebrated in Podgorica 2:1, securing their second title. According to Glas Boke, the duel was marked by riots.
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“After the match ended, the crowd rushed to beat the visitors. The authorities had great difficulty restoring order, defending the people and allowing them to board their car, which had been pelted with stones.”
Montenegrin media did not record any activity from Montenegro after that... On March 9, 1941, the Cetinje Sub-Union held a session at which the status quo was preserved: he was elected president. Đuro Cejović, while Niko Bokan remained the secretary. In addition to the people of Cetinje, representatives of Herceg Novi, Nevesinje, Nikšić, Bar and Berane were elected to the board.
"Podgorica has excluded itself because it advocates the establishment of a separate sub-alliance."
But there was no more time for football. In the short-lived April War, from 6 to 17 April 1941, the Axis powers attacked and swiftly crushed the military resistance of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which was torn apart. Just like Montenegro: most of it found itself under the protectorate of Italy, which annexed Boka Bay and handed over Ulcinj, Tuzi, Plav and Gusinje to the puppet Kingdom of Albania.
From the monograph "Proud Past, One is the Future", which can be purchased in the Future fan shop
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