Western Sydney Wanderers goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic was in no mood to talk after facing his former club, Sydney FC, for the first time and following abuse from Sky Blues fans who pelted him with dozens of rubber snakes.
Janjetovic refused to talk to the media after the 0-0 draw with Sydney FC on Saturday night after producing a number of fine saves despite the abuse from a hostile home crowd.
Sydney FC fans made no secret of their feelings about Janjetovic which stemmed from his bitter departure from the Sky Blues last month after losing his starting position to Danny Vukovic. As the 29-year-old walked out of the tunnel at half-time and towards his goal in front of the Sydney FC active supporter group, The Cove, dozens of toy snakes and plastic cups were hurled towards him.
Janjetovic looked stunned and furious with Sydney's fans and stood motionless for a brief moment before settling into his position. It was reflective of the tense mood where every touch of the ball by Janjetovic was met with a jeer from the crowd, though their enthusiasm for booing their former player waned as the match progressed.
A visibly unhappy Janjetovic refused to talk about the match or the snake incident after the game and put his head phones over his ears and headed directly towards the exit without stopping to speak to the media.
According to a Wanderers spokesman, the required post-match mixed zone was set to be the first opportunity Janjetovic was available to speak publicly since his arrival at the club, having been banned from all media in the build-up to the derby. However, it is understood the club extended his media ban after the match.
During the warm-up on Saturday night, Janjetovic was seen repeatedly beating his chest and also during pep talks from goalkeeping coach Zeljko Kalac. Wanderers coach Tony Popovic did not speak to Janjetovic about maintaining his composure within the pressure-cooker environment and trusted the goalkeeper to flourish against his former club.
"[There was] nothing to worry about at all, I didn't even say a word to him," Popovic said. "[He was] excellent, he was very assured in goal, very calm and you can just see that he's a very good keeper."
