Statement of our head coach, Zoran Mikes

“In respect of the post published on X (formerly Twitter) by Ms. Gaby Williams on 30th January, 2024, I deny all allegations made against me and assert that I did not slap the butt of Ms. Williams, nor did I have any intention to do so. The statements made in the post (which is now deleted) are wholly untrue and baseless.

Owing to the Tweet of Ms. Williams and her subsequent complaint to FIBA, I have been informed that disciplinary proceedings have been initiated by FIBA in regard to the incident. I have complete faith that my innocence shall be proved in the matter.

However, due to the tweet, I have been subject to a ‘media trial’ without anyone having access to the match-video, as it is not publicly available and only available on FIBA’s internal server. As a result, it has caused my family and myself great mental distress and has damaged my reputation.

I want to emphasize that I had no intention to hurt her modesty or threaten her in any manner whatsoever. I acknowledge that such situations are sensitive and open to interpretation. I understand the importance of a safe environment for women and the seriousness of acts of inappropriate behavior. However, in this case, there is no element of doubt as the match-video proves that there was no wrong-doing on my part.

I also denounce any assertion made by Ms. Williams or any other person that I have been “problematic all year”. There is absolutely no evidence to support such a statement and thus this makes yet another irresponsible statement to malign my reputation.

I reiterate that I have the full trust in FIBA’s investigation and I am positive that the truth will come to light soon. In the meantime, I kindly request for the public to await the final decision of FIBA prior to coming to conclusions regarding the incident.
In the meantime, I will not make any further statements until the final conclusion of the procedure “