FIVB Suspends Serbian Volleyball Player Who Pulled Slant-Eye Gesture During Match With Thailand

Bryan Ke
·1 min read

Serbian volleyball player Sanja Djurdjevic is now facing disciplinary action for the slant-eye gesture she made during a professional match against Thailand.

The details: In an announcement on Tuesday, the Disciplinary Panel Sub-Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) said Djurdjevic violated the FIVB Disciplinary Regulations when she made the racist gesture on June 1.



  • The volleyball player is now suspended for two games. She will miss the June 8 and June 12 matches against Belgium and Canada, respectively.

  • The Volleyball Federation of Serbia also received a fine of 20,000 Swiss francs ($22,300).

  • This money will be donated to a cause “dedicated to tackling discriminatory behavior and/or to fund educational programs on cultural sensitivity for the global Volleyball Family.”


What happened: After the online outrage last week, the Volleyball Federation of Serbia posted an apology on Facebook but asked the public not to blow the issue “out of proportion."

  • According to the post, Djurdjevic “immediately apologized to the whole Thailand team” after the incident.

  • Thai player Pleumjit Thinkaow, who was reportedly targeted with the gesture during the match, accepted Djurdjevic's apology.


Featured Image via @foxblucasx

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