Serbian first division side Vojvodina Novi Sad President Ratko Butorovic said that the club "will pull out of European competition next season unless local authorities in the northern city improve stadium facilities," according to Zoran Milosavljevic of REUTERS. Vojvodina is third in the league, seven points behind champions and leaders Partizan, and will qualify for at least the Europa League preliminary rounds if it holds its current position or wins the cup, where it holds a 1-0 semifinal first-leg advantage over OFK Belgrade. Butorovic said, "We will be able to play only one home game if we finish third in the league and none if we win the cup because our dilapidated stadium falls short of UEFA standards. The changing rooms, the anti-doping test room, the delegates' room and other facilities were deemed sub-standard by UEFA." Vojvodina's Karadjordje stadium holding 12,303 fans "has been partly refurbished in recent years when seats were added to all four tiers of the ground, but a wide range of facilities including a ramshackle press box have been left untouched" (REUTERS, 4/9).
