The Uefa Cup Draw was held in Nyon. Under UEFA's new format, today's draw divided forthy teams into eight five-team pools. Partizan will play Lazio, last year's semifinalists Villarreal, English League Cup winners Middlesbrough and Greek side Egaleo. Group A: Feyenoord, Schalke, Basel, Heart of Midlothian, Ferencvarosi Group B: Parma, Besiktas, Athletic Bilbao, Steaua Bucharesti, Standard Liege Group C: Club Brugge, Real Zaragoza, Utrecht, Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, Austria Wien Group D: Newcastle, Sporting, Sochaux, Panionios, Dinamo Tblisi Group E: Lazio, Villarreal, Middlesbrough, Partizan Belgrade, Egaleo Group F: Rangers, Auxerre, Grazer, Amica Wronki, Alkmaar Group G: Stuttgart, Benfica, Dinamo Zagreb, Heerenveen, Beveren Group H: AEK, Lille, Sevilla, Aachen, Zenit Partizan will play two matches at home and two away on the following dates: Partizan - Egaleo 04/11, Lazio - Partizan 25/11, Partizan - Villarreal 02/12 and Middlesbrough - Partizan 15/12. Our Bata said he was satisfied with the draw. He added that he would have wished to play Lazio and Villarreal at home, but he was nevertheless confident that his side is capable of beating any of the opponents and progressing to the next stage.

Partizan moved through to the group stage of the UEFA Cup after a tight 0-0 draw against Dinamo Bucurest in Romania enabled them to progress 3-1 on aggregate. Bata's team enjoyed the majority of early possession. However it was Dinamo who had the first chance on goal, striker Claudiu Niculescu heading into the side-netting at the near post from Constantin Semeghin's cross. With Simon Vukcevic looking impressive in midfield, Partizan continued to press forward and Pierre Boya tried his luck with a long-range shot in the 16th minute that went wide of Uladzimir Hayeu's goal. Although the Partizan defence stood firm in the face of a succession of deep crosses, Niculescu was looking increasingly more dangerous as the half went on, and went close for the home side six minutes from the interval with a diving header that flashed just wide of the Partizan goal. Two minutes later Partizan goalkeeper Ivica Kralj was called into action for the first time when Niculescu again beat the visiting defence in the area, only for Kralj to turn away his firm header. The second half was only six minutes old when Partizan went close to taking the lead. Vukcevic's long-range free-kick took a wicked deflection off a Dinamo defender but, with goalkeeper Hayeu beaten, the ball bounced back off the post. The longer the game progressed, the more gaps Dinamo left in their defence, and Vukcevic should have won the game for Partizan when he raced on to Branimir Petrovic's through-ball, only for Hayeu to stand firm and make a good save. The draw for the inaugural UEFA Cup group stage will take place at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. Forty teams will await their fate as procedures get under way at 12.00 CET. The qualifiers have been divided into five groups of eight teams based on their UEFA coefficient. A team from each seeding pool will be assigned to a group, although clubs from the same national association cannot be drawn together.

Our Bata is today celebrating his 33rd birthday. In keeping with previous years we made a special birthday card for him, which features individual and personalized wishes from his fans. The birthday card has been placed on the website for everyone to view, but especially for the birthday boy himself, so he can read all of the messages from his fans. Happy birthday, Bata! Click here to view the birthday card.

Partizan beat Dinamo Bucharest 3-1 in their UEFA Cup first round first leg tie played in Belgrade tonight. Daniel Danciulescu put the visitors ahead midway through the first half, but second-half strikes from Ivan Tomic, Pierre Boya and Nenad Brnovic turned the match around and put Bata's team in the driving seat ahead of the second leg in a fortnight's time. Partizan, who defeated another Romanian club, Otelul Galati, in qualifying for the UEFA Cup, began well, but were stunned when Danciulescu outsmarted goalkeeper Ivica Kralj in a one-on-one situation to put Dinamo ahead. Partizan had the opportunity to equalise eleven minutes before the break when Pierre Boya was fouled in the area, but Ivan Tomic saw his penalty saved by Vladimir Gaev. The match was then turned on its head in a sixty-second spell eight minutes into the second half. Nikola Grubjesic found Pierre Boya, who in turn fed Ivan Tomic to fire home an equaliser. Then Pierre Boya latched onto another Nikola Grubjesic pass to put the hosts ahead. Nikola Grubjesic, who has scored three goals in the last three domestic games for his Partizan, hit the post in the 73rd minute when he had only Gaev to beat. But then another Partizan substitute, Nenad Brnovic, did manage to give Bata's side a two-goal cushion. He fired in a long-range shot which hit first the post and then Gaev's head before nestling in the Romanians' net. You can download all three Partizan goals from Partizan official website. Click here and when the page loads, scroll it down where you will see video signs at the bottom. Nebojsa Parausic from MN Press Agency has sent us six pictures of Bata that he took during tonight's match. Click here to view them all.

Serbia and Montenegro's First Federal League competition resumed on Saturday, but Partizan played their first match on Sunday. Coach Vladimir Vermezovic was desperate to rediscover the winning habit. "A season without trophies is not good enough for Partizan. Last season we were worn out by the UEFA Champions League and we forgot about the domestic league. I am expecting the experienced players to regain their old shine. Our aim is the title, but it would be good to win the cup too" - said Vermezovic before Sunday's match with Sutjeska. The winning habit he wanted, the winning habit he got. Partizan opened the season in a big way. They beat Sutjeska 4-1. Partizan's captain Sasa Ilic netted a hat-trick and teenager Miroslav Radovic added a fourth in their emphatic win, with Dejan Tucakovic scoring Sutjeska's consolation in the first half. Partizan's bitter city rivals Crvena zvezda allowed themselves a shock 0-1 home defeat to Borac, giving Partizan the early advantage in their annual battle for supremacy. Partizan is now first in the standings, followed by Zemun, Hajduk and Zeta. Partizan will play their next match in Romania, as they start off their UEFA Cup campaign against Otelul Galati. The match will take place on Thursday, 12/08/, at 19.00 CET. Partizan players started the season wearing new jerseys. They are still Kappa made, but their general sponsor is now Imlek instead of Superfund. Bata is no longer wearing number 12 on his jersey. His new number is 4. Click here to see Bata's picture in the new Partizan jersey and a picture of Partizan team for the season 2004/2005.

Partizan is in the Alpen Cup final after beating Turkish side Besiktas in penalty shootout. Bata and his team mates played with a lot of determination and they proved to be the better team. Partizan was especially good in defence, with Bata doing his magic once again. There were only two chances on goal in the first 45 minutes, one for each team. For Partizan Tomic had a good shot saved in the 17th minute after he tried to lob the keeper. Besiktas's shot by Panuk was also saved with ease. In the second half Partizan earned a penalty. The duty was given to the captain Ilic, however his mild shot to the right of goal was saved by Kordoba. In the final Partizan will tonight at 20.00 CET take on Dutch team Feyenoord. You can watch the match LIVE on Eurosport. Click here to view Bata's pictures taken during the match with Besiktas.

Partizan overcame Sartid Smederevo in this eagerly awaited derby. The only goal of the game was scored by young Radovic following a superb pass from Drulovic. Overall, the match was disappointing in terms of quality, and the passion displayed by both teams did not remotely measure up to the expected competitive derby encounter. Second placed Partizan and third placed Sartid showed us little in the way of footballing beauty. Too many bad passes, very few scoring chances. Indeed it was so poor that the Partizan coach apologised to our fans for the team's lacklustre performance!   Ominously, our Bata was forced to leave the pitch just before the end of the first half. He sustained a muscle injury during yesterday's training and was advised by doctors not to play. Bata, being such a competitor, wanted to give his best anyway. Fortunately, the injury is not believed to be serious and we expect to see him playing again very soon. Please click here to view Bata's pictures Nebojsa Parausic from MN Press agency took during today's derby.

The players of Partizan football club collected a total of 100.000 dinars to assist the plight of displaced Serbs from the Serbian province of  Kosovo. In addition to the money collected, Bata and his team mates also brought other humanitarian aid articles to the Sava Center parking lot, where the Serbia Help humanitarian action was taking place.  The players and their coach, Vladimir Vermezovic, asserted that the Kosovo Serbs were very much in their hearts and minds, and that they wished to show their support and solidarity. They also expressed their desire for the violence to be stopped as soon as possible, and that the politicians strive to find a solution that will finally bring peace. Click here to view the pictures from this event.

The leading disciplinary official of the Serbia and Montenegro First Division, Nikola Latinovic of Red Star, gave our Bata a four match suspension arising from the controversial incidents during the OFK Beograd - Partizan match. This meant that Bata missed the match against Sutjeska yesterday, and will also miss the upcoming games against Vojvodina, Sartid and Napredak.   Bata's team-mate Albert Nadj was given a three match suspension, yet the OFK Belgrade players who were principally involved in the unsavoury scenes (Boris Vaskovic and Dusko Tosic), each received only a one match suspension.  Furthermore, Partizan's captain Vladimir Ivic was today charged with attempting to attack a linesman and will receive a disciplinary hearing next week. Please click here to view Bata's pictures from OFK Beograd - Partizan match.

Today, Bata commented on his reaction to the events that culminated in his sending-off in the controversial OFK Belgrade - Partizan match. "I was always taught to compete chivalrously, and not to provoke rivals on the pitch. I haven't slept for two nights because of my stupidity in the last match. I don't know if the OFK Belgrade players involved in the trouble have been able to sleep, or perhaps they think this is the right way to behave on the pitch. I am not saying that all OFK Belgrade players were unfair. I applaude Kolakovic, Bakovic and Basa who are true professionals and model sportsmen. However, I feel that it is time that some of their team-mates start learning from them. Personally, I feel sick thinking of this match, although I am not sorry that I returned to play in Serbia. I accept that things are not as they were seven years ago and I will have to adapt."

After today's draw (1-1) against OFK Beograd, Partizan has virtually given up any hope of retaining the League title. It now seems almost inconceivable that Crvena Zvezda will surrender their seven point advantage. However, the Partizan players will remember today's match not only for dropping points, but also as a total travesty. Referee Goran Mihajlovic, for reasons best known to himself, ensured that he was the star performer on the pitch. He simply lost control of the match within the first few minutes, and then proceeded to make one glaring mistake after another. In total he showed fourteen yellow cards and four red cards, changing the disciplinary criteria by the minute. It became impossible for the players to distinguish what was fair play from what was not. There were players from both teams who could or should have been red-carded many times, yet somehow managed to stay on the pitch. Partizan's Radovic and Ivic spent more time on the grass than on their feet, as OFK Beograd's Stancic fauled them after every contact with the ball. But that was not all. Not to be outdone by the performance of the referee, the linesman also played a part in reducing this game to utter farce. On one notorious occassion, Ivic was ruled offside when he was alone in front of the goal. He would surely have scored, but the linesman chose to raise his flag and stop the attack. He then called Ivic over and said to him: "Sorry, it wasn't offside". Ivic was shocked (to say the least), as were the other Partizan players. If the match didn't remind us of NHL hockey by then, this was surely the case in the last 20 minutes. In the 82nd minute Nadj was red-carded for no apparent reason, and that's when all hell broke loose! Fights were breaking out all over. Our Bata, not being one of the calmest of players, knocked out OFK Belgrade's Tosic and was promptly sent off. Tosic was also red-carded, but was very reluctant to join Nadj and Bata in the tunnel. It seemed that he was waiting for policemen to rescue/escort him to safety, but in vain. By this stage, some players had personal scores to settle and the police were of little help. There are numerous accounts of what happened next. Some claim a major fight took place, other say that all of the players eventually calmed down. Bata's site will not speculate further, but will wait to see if Bata decides to comment. After the mayhem was over, the match was prolonged for ten minutes. In this ten minutes two goals were scored, one by each team. In the subsequent press conference held after the match, Partizan's coach Vladimir Vermezovic was reluctant to comment on the referee's mistakes, but Partizan's captain Vladimir Ivic didn't hold back. He accused the referee of deliberately stopping all Partizans attacks, and of constantly ruling Partizan offside. He highlighted the incident where the linesman stopped Ivic, alone in front of the goal only to say he was wrong and apologize. Ivic also stated that he believes the Federation does not want Partizan to be champions for the third time in a row, and that it would do anything to prevent this from happening. This match, because of the worst refereeing you would ever be able to see, will be talked over for days, weeks, probably months. Please click here to view Bata's pictures Nenad Negovanovic took during OFK Beograd - Partizan match.

The 16th round of the Serbia Montenegro Championship was played this weekened. Partizan secured three points in a hard away match against Borac in Cacak. The match was played in very bad conditions, the pitch looked more like a potato field than anything else. The only goal was scored in 68th minute by Pierre Boya, the young Partizan striker. Our Bata showed a brilliant performance. He was leading the Partizan defence with great confidence. You would have never noticed that he wasn't playing professional football for almost eight months. Bata was very satisfied after the match, but had stated this was the toughest pitch he has ever played on. Partizan will play their next match against Obilic on Saturday, 28/02. Standings: 1. Crvena zvezda 40 points, 2. Partizan 37 points, 3. Zeleznik 32 points, 4. Sartid 32 points, 5. OFK Beograd 29 points...

In the final friendly match before the resumption of the League this weekend, Partizan thrashed third division BASK 9-0. The Partizan starting line-up was Kralj in front of the goal, Cirkovic, Djordjevic, our Bata, and Malbasa in defence, Radovic, Cakar, Ivic and Nadj in midfield and Drulovic and Boya in attack. During the course of the game Radakovic, Ognjanovic, Savic, Bajic, Miskovic, Vukcevic, Iliev, Radonjic, Brnovic and Stojicic also made appearances. Perhaps the most encouraging feature of the match was the performance of young Radovic, who showed great promise and scored a hat-trick. Two goals were provided by Radonjic and one each from Ivic, Nadj, Cakar and Brnovic. Although only a few hundred Partizan fans were present for this home match, Bata received a lot of their attention and many of their cheers. A low-key but welcoming start for the new number 12! The announcement that Igor Duljaj was sold to Shakhtar Donetsk has left many fans feeling extremely angry. Duljaj's departure means that Partizan has now lost three key players during the latest transfer period, arguably the three players who contributed the most to Partizan's qualification and best performances in the Champions League. Click here to view Bata's pictures taken during the friendly match with BASK.

After twenty strenuous and demanding days of training in the heat of the United Arab Emirates, Partizan returned to Belgrade yesterday. Apparently the training regime was very tough, featuring two to three sessions each day. During their stay, Partizan participated in five friendly matches, winning only two of them. Although the results of these practice games are of little importance, what does matter is that the players are on-song for their first competitive match on the 22nd of February. On that day Partizan will take on Borac in Cacak.   During the course of the next few days Bata will be assigned a shirt-number. Prior to leaving for the training camp in Dubai, Bata said that he did not care which number he wore on his shirt. It seems that the numbers still available are six, nine and numbers higher than twenty. Rest assured, as soon as Bata receives his number you will be informed, and pictures of Bata in his new shirt will be posted on the site.

Today our Bata signed a contract for two and a half years with the champions of Serbia and Montenegro, Partizan Belgrade. At the press conference Bata's first words were "I've come home". Bata admitted that he had seriously contemplated retirement, but ultimately realized that he still had the hunger and desire to keep playing. At the press conference Bata confirmed that his playing options had included a choice to either return to his beloved Partizan or join Ljubisa Tumbakovic's club in China. Tumbakovic had coached Bata in his earlier years at Partizan and both men have a great mutual respect and liking for each other. Ultimately, this man who Bata considers to be his mentor and "second dad", advised him to return to Partizan. Before posing in his new black and white jersey, Bata outlined his intentions: "I will talk less and work more. My ambitions are the same as those of Partizan. I want to win both trophies, the league title and the cup. I am an optimist and believe that we have a quality side capable of attaining these goals. As far as the other players are concerned, there will be no problems in getting along as I personally know all of them". The Partizan team is currently at their training camp in Dubai. Bata will be joining up with them almost immediately, adding that he will be training hard in order to be fit and ready for the upcoming league matches. Click here to view eleven pictures of Bata signing the contract. If you wish to view pictures of Bata posing in a black - white jersey, please click here. If you want to wish Bata the best of luck in his new club, you can do that by visiting his forum.

BATA A BASKETBALL STAR! This weekend a charitable event, "Podignimo stupove", took place in Belgrade's Mali Kalemegdan. It was organised by Partizan Basketball Club, Crvena Zvezda Basketball Club, Ministry for Religion and Culture, and the "Organisation of the Friends of Djurdjevi Stupovi Church ". All of the proceeds from this event went towards the restoration of the church.   Many of the top football and basketball stars of Serbia and Montenegro took part in a unique sporting contest. The novel part of this contest was that each star participated in the "other" sport, and our Bata became a basketball star!  The spectactors, as well as the coach of the team, agreed that Bata was the top all-round performer on the basketball court. Please click here to view the pictures taken before the match. Bata, being a religious person and a patriot, donated money towards the restoration of "Djurdjevi stupovi" and also developed a friendship with Jeremonah Gerasim, who pioneered this humanitarian event. Please click here to view the picture of Bata and Jeremonah Gerasim.   Please visit the "Podignimo stupove" website.

Click on the birthday card to read best wishes sent to Bata by his devoted fans!

Serbia and Montenegro national team was defeated 2-1 by Azerbaijan tonight. Selector Dejan Savicevic left the dugout before the final whisle and later announced his resignation. "It is all over. I am quitting," said Savicevic. "The reason? Well, players from our national championship do not have strenght and stamina to run for 90 minutes, even against Azerbaijan, and most of our foreign-based players are of an age when it is not easy to play quality football matches." Fans in the country and abroad are satisfied with Savicevic's resignation, as they blame him for ruining our team's hopes and reputation. The public also wants resignations of all leading people in Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, but it's very unlikely that will happen. Our Bata played the whole match against Azerbaijan. He made no mistakes, but was not able to give much either, as the team's perfomance in general was horrible. Foreign media claims Bata, as well as some other players, announced he will quit playing for the national media. This news is most likely not true, as it has not appeared in any media in Serbia or Montenegro. Click here to view Bata's pictures taken during the match. NEWS UPDATE: Dragan Stojkovic, the president of the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro, has said that he hopes the country's new national coach will be installed in a month's time. "Savicevic's departure was a moral gesture," Stojkovic started. "He understood that he could not succeed. Dejan Savicevic is a great man and he will continue helping us. We will begin a series of meetings in the FA immediately with the goal of analysing all that we achieved so far and finding a way to elect a new coach. Then we will put together a list of candidates and start interviews as soon as possible. In a month's time we should announce the name of the coach we will entrust the job," the president continued. "If necessary, we will also consider a foreign coach. The financial aspect is a problem, but we will find the means. The new coach will finish the group qualifiers with dignity, but his primary job will be to take Serbia and Montenegro to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany," Stojkovic explained. Stojkovic also said that the departure of older players from the squad was inevitable and that turning to youth was a strategic plan. "At the moment we don't have the quality for Europe," he continued. "We have to be realistic about that. The domestic championship is weak. Our understanding of football is so different from the rest of Europe where style does not mean anything compared to strength, speed and endurance. When we understand that, we will be able to find our deserved place."

England earned a 2-1 victory against Serbia and Montenegro in the friendly international at the Walkers stadium in Leicester tonight. Steven Gerrard opened the scoring after 35 minutes, Nenad Jestrovic levelled for Serbia and Montenegro in added time at the end of the first half but substitute Cole ensured victory for England with a superb free-kick in the 83rd minute. Both sides made plenty of substitutions ahead of forthcoming qualifying fixtures; England will meet Slovakia on 11/06, while Serbia and Montengero will play Finland and Azerbaijan away on Saturday, 07/06, and Wednesday, 11/06. Our Bata tonight again served as a captain of Serbia and Montenegro national team. This was the 57th time he was defending his country's colours. He only played in the first half, as the selector wanted to keep him fresh for the upcoming qualification matches. Serbia and Montenegro: Jevric (Zilic 67), Mirkovic (Nenad Brnovic 46), Vidic (Darko Kovacevic 82), Stefanovic (Krstajic 50), Markovic (Njegus 67), Duljaj (Boskovic 47), Nenad Kovacevic (Malbasa 46), Dmitrovic (Trobok 46), Sasa Ilic (Mijatovic 68), Vukic (Nenad Djordjevic 46), Jestrovic (Milosevic 74) England: James, Mills (Carragher 61), Southgate (Terry 45), Upson (Barry 85), Ashley Cole (Bridge 46), Phil Neville (Beattie 88), Gerrard (Jenas 46), Lampard (Joe Cole 61), Scholes (Hargreaves 46), Owen (Rooney 45), Heskey (Vassell 61)

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