"They tried to sabotage me!" Filip Petrušev's candid interview: "Only Dubai believed in me then!"

"I think the difference is clear. With Zvezda, I didn't have home-court advantage, whereas with Dubai, I did. As we see year after year, it's a crucial factor for winning the ABA League. Why is that? I don't know. Perhaps I do, but that's a question for someone else." - Filip Petrušev

"Personally, I will miss him. I think the team will miss him too. I would always want Aleksa on my team. Firstly, because we are very good friends, and secondly, because I believe he is a very valuable player. Despite his sometimes unconventional style of play, which some might find disruptive, I appreciate it, and I think we understand each other very well on the court. However, every club, coach, and organization has its own desires, as does the player himself. I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm certainly sorry that he won't be on the same team with me next season." - Filip Petrušev

"Simply put, the other options weren't concrete enough in several aspects. I had a situation I don't want to delve into, as I don't concern myself with such things, but in the end, two or three teams remained. The third team opted for another reinforcement, while the second received so much negative information about me from a certain source that Dubai practically became the only option. I'm sure Dubai received the same information, but they believed in me the most and were the most concrete with their offer. In the end, I practically had no other choice. Most of the pieces fell into place for me to sign with Dubai. It was simply meant to be." - Filip Petrušev

"Exactly. When I arrived there, it turned out that none of the information Dubai and the other teams received was true. There was clearly an attempt at sabotage. I don't even know exactly what it was about, but that's behind me now, and I'm moving forward." - Filip Petrušev