Serbia volleyball players turn backs on Aleksandar Vučić after bronze

Serbia’s volleyball players drew attention for more than their bronze medal after returning from the European Championship: during an official reception President Aleksandar Vučić spoke to the team, and several players showed visible signs of unease and left the hall immediately after his remarks.

The team had won the bronze after losing to Turkey in the semifinals and beating Poland in the third-place match. Instead of sporting celebrations, footage from the arrival and the reception focused on the athletes’ expressions while Vučić addressed them; short clips from the scene spread quickly on social networks.

Players turn their backs, videos go viral

In the clips, some of the players are seen waiting for the formalities to end, avoiding eye contact with the president and then walking away as the event concluded. The images prompted strong reactions online and became the dominant narrative around the team’s homecoming.

A viral social media post captured the tone of the reaction. The post read: "This humiliated him more than anything else in the past 10 years. They turned their backs on him and left him like shit in the rain. Let him drink the cocktail alone with his protocol." — Mačor Ludak (@goranhuber), September 8, 2026.

There has been no official statement from the presidential office about the players’ behavior, and representatives of the volleyball federation did not immediately comment in the footage that circulated. For now, the debate online mixes support for the team’s sporting result with criticism and interpretation of the reception footage.

Photo: press material from the event