Red Star Judokas Lose Champions League Final to PSG
Red Star reached a third straight Champions League judo final, but holders Paris Saint-Germain won 4-3 after Red Star had led 3-2.
Captain Nemanja Majdov was convinced the Champions League judo final was as good as won, because Red Star led Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) 3-2 in Paris. It was not won. The French club, the title holders, turned the score around and won 4-3, leaving Red Star judokas with a third consecutive runner-up finish and the fifth in the club’s history.
Majdov described that moment after the final:
“We had one of those days and we almost won the final in the middle of Paris. We were leading 3-2 and I was convinced that was it.”
The final was held at the National Judo Institute hall in Paris, this season’s host city for the Champions League. It is Red Star’s third final in a row, after Montpellier in 2024 and Belgrade in 2025, and the opponent was once again PSG.
How did Red Star reach the final in Paris?
Red Star had a bye in the first round as a seeded team. In the quarterfinal it beat France’s ACBB Boulogne 4-3, and in the semifinal it beat Judo Nice Metropole 4-1. Four French teams took part in the competition, so the road to the trophy ran through the host nation’s strongest clubs.
Red Star has competed in the Champions League since 2013. It won its first medal in 2014 in the Netherlands and has been a regular among Europe’s top club sides since.
Who fought for Red Star?
The squad from the club based on Ljutica Bogdana street was:
- up to 57 kg: Marica Perisic and Mina Gacic
- up to 70 kg: Nuana Silva and Dunja Vukicevic
- over 78 kg: Milica Zabic
- up to 73 kg: Bajsangur Nagajev, Hidajat Hajdarov and Vukasin Sokic
- up to 90 kg: captain Nemanja Majdov, Boris Rutovic and Mihajlo Simin
- over 90 kg: Zelim Kocojev, Vidak Maljevic and Lazar Zdrale
The team was led by coaches Bojan Dosen, Ljubisa Majdov and Andrija Djurisic. It was Dosen’s first competition as a coach, after previously serving as Red Star’s captain. After the final he said:
“I am delighted that, after my captaincy career, on my debut as a coach with Red Star I managed to justify the Board’s trust and that all of us together brought home a fifth runner-up title.”
Cheering from the stands were club president Stojan Vujko, sporting director Nikola Nikolic and general secretary Vladan Gacic, along with Board members and the club’s youth section.
What did Majdov and Vujko say after the defeat?
In Paris, Majdov also beat Celidis, an Olympic bronze medalist, for the ninth time, as he put it. Reports do not give the score of that bout. The captain made no secret of his pride in what the team had achieved:
“We achieved a great result, we should not be sad, this is a huge, historic result. We pushed PSG all the way, we are European runners-up. I am proud of everyone, thanks to the Board, the team and the coaches, we fought to the end like true champions.”
Red Star Judo Club president Stojan Vujko put the outcome down to a thin margin:
“We were missing a little sporting luck. Even though this is the fifth runner-up title, everyone gave their maximum on the tatami. There was no question about fighting spirit and sacrifice, it was only a question of the moment. We go on, that championship title will come one day.”
What comes next for Red Star’s judokas?
The next dates are in Belgrade. The European Mixed Team Championships take place on November 7 and 8 at the “Aleksandar Nikolic” hall, and Vujko invited judo fans to come and watch the fighters in action. He added that the Judo Federation of Serbia is hosting the European Inclusive Judo Championships for the first time:
“On Sunday, November 8, for the first time, the Judo Federation of Serbia will host the European Inclusive Judo Championships.”
