Olimpija Ljubljana Manager Keeps Job Despite Calling Player a “Black Idiot”

Marko Nikolic, manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana, has apologised for calling one of his own players a "black idiot" – and will not lose his job over the comment.

Olimpija are top of the Slovenian PrvaLiga at the moment, but saw their lead cut to two points this weekend after they could only draw with Zavrč, while nearest rivals Maribor won. It could have been worse for the league leaders, who were 1-0 down until Nigerian striker Blessing Eleke equalised in the last minute of the game.

As Eleke launched into an elaborate celebration, Nikolic was caught on camera calling him a "black idiot" on the touchline. In light of extensive press coverage, Olimpija's head coach has now released a statement via the club's website addressing the incident.

Referring to his "emotional reaction" to Eleke's apparent showboating, Nikolic has said: "I never intended to offend the player racially or otherwise and I don't want to be associated with intolerance, racism or discrimination of any kind.

"I spoke to Eleke and he said he understood my reaction because emotional outbursts of this kind can happen. I apologise for my reaction generated solely by the rush to score the winning goal after getting a 92nd-minute equaliser and I thank the team for not judging my act as racist."

It seems strange that someone who doesn't want to be associated with discrimination of any kind would refer to a player as a "black idiot" as opposed to just "an idiot", but there we go. Club president Milan Mandaric – formerly owner of Portsmouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday – has added: "The club distances itself from all individual acts which contravene our philosophy and condemns such acts strongly.

"However, after careful consideration and talks with Nikolic and Eleke, we have come to the conclusion that the coach did not target the player's race. It was an emotional reaction generated by an overwhelming desire to win the match."

Of course, calling someone a "black idiot" does – in the clearest terms possible – target a player's race. This may seem like a weak attempt at an excuse, but Mandaric assures people otherwise.

"There is no excuse, but due to the circumstances, we have refrained from making a decision which would have affected the career of a young and talented coach who has a bright future."

Nikolic will now continue trying to steer Olimpija to their first ever league title. They top the table by two points, with seven games of the season remaining.