Former Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has spoken publicly for the first time about encrypted messages allegedly sent by ex-Serbian FA president Slavisa Kokeza discussing threats against him after he criticised the federation’s leadership in 2020.
Nemanja Vidic, Serbia’s most capped and celebrated footballer, has revealed how he learned that messages allegedly sent by former Football Association of Serbia president Slavisa Kokeza discussed having him monitored, intimidated and physically attacked, after investigative outlets OCCRP and KRIK visited his home in May with material drawn from the hacked Sky ECC encryption service.
The messages, reportedly referencing Vidic ending up “in a ditch”, came after Vidic criticised the federation’s leadership in 2020 following Serbia’s failure to qualify for Euro 2020, with fellow players Nemanja Matic, Danko Lazovic and Dragan Mrda also named in the correspondence.
Vidic told The Athletic his initial reaction was sarcastic disbelief before the seriousness sank in, adding that he was unaware a tracker had allegedly been placed on his car and that no police or authority had reassured him since.
He said he had never been part of any political structure and was simply expressing genuine concern for Serbian football’s administration, insisting the criticism was never personal.
Vidic also discussed his brief 2023 candidacy for the FSS presidency, which he withdrew from a day before the election after regional associations backed a rival candidate, and said he would still consider helping Serbian football’s governance in future if meaningful change were possible.
He linked the country’s absence from the current World Cup to the same structural problems he flagged years earlier.
Serbian prosecutors have since confirmed they are investigating the claims, with the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organised Crime stating it opened proceedings after KRIK’s reporting and a subsequent complaint filed by Vidic’s lawyers, while Kokeza did not respond to requests for comment from either the OCCRP or The Athletic.
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