The Water Polo and Swimming Federation of Montenegro issued a statement with the desire to clarify to the public the unpleasant situation that was seen on the last day of the World Championships in Singapore.
Our expedition, in fact, had to leave the hotel where it had been since the start of the World Cup on Thursday morning, so it spent almost the entire day in the complex where the matches were played.
Immediately after the match against Croatia in the fifth-place match, the "Sharks" headed to the airport and left Singapore.
We are publishing the VPSCG statement in its entirety:
"In the process of planning the trip, an error was made in the timing of booking airline tickets and accommodation, which is entirely the responsibility of the Federation administration. When the error was noticed, we reacted immediately - the tickets were changed to tickets with the possibility of changing the return date, and the option of extending the hotel stay was also left.
The decision to return the players after the match for fifth place was made after the quarterfinal match, in agreement with the coaching staff, when it was clear that the national team, unfortunately for all the boys, the coaching staff and us in the Federation, would not compete for a medal.
VPSCG is an organization whose work is measured by quality. We see this failure as an additional opportunity to persevere in this. Therefore, internal procedures have been initiated within the Alliance to sanction those responsible for the failure and ensure that similar situations do not occur again.
This situation does not reflect a lack of trust in the players - quite the opposite. We believed in them, and they justified that trust. Montenegro played with the youngest team at the championship, beating the world vice-champion from Doha and the team that ultimately won bronze in the group stage. The sixth place won is the best placement of our national team at the World Championships in the last 11 years. This is significant progress and a big step, which must not remain in the shadow of an administrative error.
Our athletes deserve to feel like what they are - true champions. We, as the Federation, are committed to sanctioning failures, but also rewarding everything that leads us to the pride of Montenegro.
We believe in this generation and are sure that great victories and medals await us. With the support of the coaching staff and coach Dejan Savić, they have a bright future ahead of them.
We ask the media and the public, instead of sensationalism, to join us in supporting these guys, who have continuously represented Montenegro at the Olympic Games and all major competitions since gaining independence.
"Trust is not earned with words, but with actions - and we are ready to prove it," the Alliance said in a statement.
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