Serbia’s national basketball team suffered a second consecutive defeat against Turkey on Monday, losing 94-86 in a FIBA World Cup qualifying match. Following the loss, Serbia’s head coach, Dušan Alimpijević, sharply criticized the FIBA “window” system for national team games, calling it “absurd” and “simply ridiculous.”
The defeat in Istanbul came just four days after Turkey defeated Serbia 82-78 in Belgrade. Despite the two losses, Serbia holds a 2-2 record through four qualifying games. Alimpijević voiced his frustration during a post-match press conference, arguing that the current system creates an unfair playing field.
“It’s terrible. It’s an absurdity! I keep repeating myself, but it’s just insane to me,” Alimpijević stated, according to reports. “Either allow all players to be released, or allow all players to participate. It’s very funny. It’s just absurd.”
Alimpijević highlighted the logistical difficulties faced by Serbia in assembling its full squad, contrasting it with the relative ease Turkey experienced. “Our federation has done a lot of good things, making our job as coaches easier. But unfortunately, many of your [Turkish] players play in your country, so communicating with clubs is much easier,” he explained. “In our case, we, as Serbia, as a federation, as a national team, have to talk to clubs in other countries, with general managers. It’s quite demanding. So, this whole situation is just absurd to me. But it is what it is.”
Turkey currently leads Group C with an undefeated record. The outcome of the qualifying round will determine potential opponents for Lithuania in the second stage of qualification. According to FIBA.basketball, Alimpijević was appointed as Serbia’s head coach in 2025, succeeding Svetislav Pesic, who led the team to a silver medal at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and a bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.
Alimpijević, 39, previously coached Beşiktaş Gain of the Basketbol Süper Ligi and EuroCup, and has also held positions with Crvena Zvezda and Bursaspor. He was recognized as the EuroCup Coach of the Year in 2022.
