Petrović is used to "disasters", Jovović says life is going on normally: We are waiting and hoping it will pass

The war in the Middle East, sparked by the US-Israeli attack on Iran, has escalated into a wider regional conflict, and Middle Eastern countries such as Qatar, the Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain have become "collateral damage".

Dozens of Montenegrin coaches work there - football, volleyball, and all of them are still at their destination, waiting and hoping that everything will be calm again soon.

Among them - Nebojsa Jovović in Kuwait, where the Iranians are targeting a US military base, Zeljko Petrovic in the Emirates - also not far from the base being targeted by the Iranians in retaliation.

The situation - not ideal, but still under control...

Željko Petrović says he's used to it.

- Wherever I go, it seems like I have to run away from there - says the coach of Al Jafra from Medina with a smile.

When he worked in Japan, while leading the Urawa Reds, he witnessed one of the most devastating earthquakes in human history, and the resulting tsunami claimed tens of thousands of lives.

In Japan, during preparations, also on the Urava bench, a volcano erupted in Petrović's field of vision, and the situation he is facing in the Emirates is not the first of its kind.

- Last year, while I was working in Kuwait, American military bases were targeted. It lasted three or four days and ended, and now, I don't know how long it will last, I'm not sure it will pass so quickly - Petrović points out.

Wherever I go, it seems like I have to run away from there - says Željko Petrović, coach of Al Džafra from Medina, with a smile

And while his team hasn't stopped training, the events haven't stopped either - in the sky above Medina.

- We are an hour and a half drive from Abu Dhabi, three hours from Dubai, but the military base is about 30 kilometers away. The sky is like a video game, missiles are flying, the Emirates are trying to intercept them. You can watch all of that, sometimes even 'sway', like in a movie.

Petrović, whose coaching staff also includes Milivoje Novović, says that, despite everything, he feels safe.

- It's not all the same, but we have no choice, we sit, wait for it to pass, and at the same time we work and train. And we don't run away - where have you seen Montenegrins running away - Petrović turns it into a joke again.

- Otherwise, all this is general nonsense, it's a matter of force of will, a struggle for resources, I would say, but we are powerless here - we sit, wait, hope it will pass.

It is similar in Kuwait, where attacks on American bases broke a terrible series Nebojša Jovović and his SC Kuwait in all competitions - 47 consecutive games without defeat in all competitions!

The series of winning trophies - and they have already won four in Kuwait - was interrupted in the Super Cup final, where Kacija won on penalties after a draw in regular time, but nominally, the series without defeat still continues.

But you can't fight bombs. Jovović and his associates Darko Lubarda, Marko Jovanovic i Blazo Igumanović They were supposed to travel to Oman for the first leg of the Asian Cup quarter-finals, but the match was canceled until further notice...

- At least we trained tonight, after a two-day break. You can hear detonations in the distance, they were especially audible on the first day, because Kuwait is not a big country, you can see everything, you can hear everything, but life is going on more or less normally. Sports competitions have been suspended, but all institutions in the country are functioning, there are activities, life is going on normally, so to speak, with precautions and warnings - Jovović tells "Vijesti".

- It's not pleasant, but we sit and wait - we have no other choice. We all hope that things will calm down soon, that those who decide on this will be smart and calm. There are a lot of calls from Montenegro, friends are calling, asking questions, and I thank them for that - concludes Jovović.

47

Nebojša Jovović's unbeaten streak on the bench of SC Kuwait continues. The streak continues, despite losing the Super Cup - on penalties to Kacija. The streak has been interrupted, for now, by Iranian missiles on American bases.