Football is about the fans and for them, but things might become dangerous when they get too much power in their hands. While fans have the right to protest and show their displeasure with a team’s failure, embarrassing a player from the team you support is something that shouldn’t be allowed to happen. And yet Marko Šćepović was humiliated by the leader of the Grobari, the leading firm of Partinan Belgarde supporters (Ultras), who took away his captain armband after getting knocked out of the Champions League by Ludogorets of Bulgaria.

Partinzan lost 3-1 on aggregate, including 1-0 at home, with Šćepović, a 22 year-old striker who is the Vice-Captain to Sasa Ilic, coming on in the 68th minute to try and turn things around. Partinzan needed only one goal thanks to their away goal in Bulgaria, but couldn’t find the net, hitting the woodwork once and getting some fine saves out of goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov.

Their hopes were shredded when Ludogorets were awarded an 88th minute penalty, converted by Hristo Zlatinski. This sent Partizan fans into an outraged mood (not for the first time), leading to the scenes at the end, with the players too afraid to stand up to the fans, having their way with the young Šćepović, whose only fault was not being good enough to secure and put Partizan in the playoff of the Champions League qualifiers.