Vidic slammed by critics

The decision of Serbia's greatest football star Nemanja Vidic to quit international football outraged many of his compatriots.

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Belgrade – The decision of Serbia's greatest football star Nemanja Vidic to quit international football outraged many of his compatriots, according to news headlines on Wednesday.

Vidic, 30, confirmed on Monday that he was quitting the national team. The Manchester United defender indicated that one of the reasons for the move was that he was not appreciated enough in the media.

“You owe us, Nemanja,” says a headline in the daily Press. The newspaper said that Vidic had skipped every other match over the past nine years, playing 56 out of the possible 102 games.

It also calculated that the team won as many points playing without Vidic as it did with him - but admitted that he was mostly skipping matches against weaker opponents.

“Serbia is left without Vidic after actually not having him,” it said, stressing that almost as a rule the defender played “far better for Manchester United than the national team.”

Former Serbia and Montenegro coach, Ilija Petkovic, was among the sharpest critics of Vidic's decision.

“I think he should have looked himself in the mirror first ... He took a wrong step from the moral perspective, particularly now when the national team is shaken.”

Vidic said he was leaving after Serbia lost its final chance to travel to the Euro 2012 by losing to Slovenia in the final round of qualifications two weeks ago. Vidic, who played injured, missed a penalty for an equalizer.

There is also a camp which wants Serbian football authorities, lead by the disputed governing body president Tomislav Karadzic, to ask Vidic to reconsider.

“Karadzic must ... plea with Vidic,” the mass-circulation Blic said. “He should return him to the squad, not thank him.”

Several coaches and players sided with Vidic, including former Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen coach Dragoslav Stepanovic, who said that “Vidic doesn't want to embarrass himself with the stumbling.”

Serbia captain and Inter Milan's midfielder Dejan Stankovic also said immediately after the loss to Slovenia that he will stop playing for his country. – Sapa-dpa

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/vidic-slammed-by-critics-1.1165187

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