Today, Friday, it’s that time again. Partizan and Red Star Belgrade face each other in a direct duel in the EuroLeague. It’s the hottest derby in Europe – and one person has experienced it up close several times. We asked Maik Zirbes about it.
The circumstances leading up to this derby couldn’t be more different. While Red Star changed coaches after only two games and then advanced to the top of the EuroLeague, chaos still reigns at Partizan.
Although the first two games after Zeljko Obradovic’s resignation (and all the aftermath) were won, one cannot shake the feeling that the mood could change at any moment.
The game against Bayern was simply bizarre, with the home team being booed throughout the entire first half. Things continue to simmer at Partizan, who started the season with high hopes and are now once again lagging behind.
Zirbes: There is respect on both sides
What could help more than a victory in the eternal derby? A game that no longer causes a stir within Serbia’s borders. Someone who understands this very well is former national player Maik Zirbes. In the autumn of his career, the center returned home to VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier in the summer of 2023, having previously been under contract with Red Star three times.
In total, the center played 215 competitive games for “Zvezda,” won nine trophies, and was named MVP of the Serbian league finals in 2016. Even today, the 35-year-old is still popular in the Serbian capital. “I was always treated with respect,” Zirbes told basketball-world.news. “When you go to a restaurant and the waiter is a Partizan fan, he tells you that you’re playing for the wrong team, but he also emphasizes that you’re a good player.”
With Zirbes, the Red and Whites mostly had the upper hand, and it is only in recent years that Partizan has caught up again after turbulent years of near bankruptcy. But that didn’t make the games any less explosive. “Suddenly there are so many security guards around, but also police and even the military. You know right away that this game is not normal.”
Belgrade Arena: Overwhelmed by the size
Emotions tend to boil over, and the two Serbian teams regularly have to pay fines for fan misconduct, while at the same time the EuroLeague likes to bask in the social media spotlight with atmospheric images from the Belgrade Arena. “The size of the arena almost overwhelms you with the sheer number of people. It’s just insane,” says Zirbes about the arena, who has also experienced derbies in the old and smaller Pionir Arena (Aleksandar Nikolic Arena), which was often completely overcrowded on such occasions.
Basketball in Serbia is simply a religion. Even the state pours several million euros into the two top clubs every year, and no one really minds. “I celebrate how passionately they follow the sport,” says Zirbes, who also knows how thin the line between fanaticism and fanaticism can be.
“I was once spat on and had things thrown at me, but thankfully I haven’t had any other negative experiences.” Instead, the center continues to follow his former team as best he can. Less so than before, as the Zirbes family has recently grown, but the derby is simply a must-see event.
“I always invite the whole team to the game and then we all watch it together.” And it’s not just the people of Trier who watch. At the beginning of the year, Shaquille O’Neal also expressed interest in watching this game live at least once. Will that happen this Friday? Probably not, but given the current situation of both teams in the EuroLeague, it could provide extra fuel for the fire.