Luka Jovic broke coronavirus quarantine protocol at Real Madrid, with the Serbian striker opting to head home during a period of self-isolation, and his father admits “if he has to go to jail, then he goes”.
Milan Jovic is, however, adamant that his son has done nothing wrong.
The Blancos star had cleared all medical tests before taking the decision to return to his homeland to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday.
He should, however, have been at home when travelling out of Spain, with the Madrid camp having shut down after a basketball player on the club’s books tested positive for Covid-19.
Jovic is now facing the threat of government-enforced punishment, but his father expects the 22-year-old to be let off the hook before drastic action is taken.
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"Luka had two tests done and he tested negative on both," Milan Jovic told Puls Online.
"That's why he thought he could come to Serbia. Now it seems like he's a major criminal. If he has to go to jail, then he goes.
"I'm totally in agreement with the [Serbian] president and prime minister [for threatening criminal charges], but only if he's guilty.
"I would support that decision if he'd done something wrong, but he arrived in Belgrade and stayed at home.
"[His girlfriend] Sofia is pregnant and she couldn't go out [to celebrate her birthday]. Some photos have emerged of the two out having fun, but they were from Spain."
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Jovic has already attempted to curb the furore surrounding his actions in a post on his personal Instagram account.
He said: "Since the situation in the world and in our country is very difficult, I have to come forward and give support to my people.
"First of all, I am very sorry that I am the main topic these days and that I am constantly being written about, not the heroes of this crisis, doctors and all the medical professionals.
"While in Spain, I [tested] negative for coronavirus and decided to come to Serbia to help and support our people and be close to my family, in agreement with the officials.
"When I landed in Serbia, I was once again tested and coronavirus negative.
"It is very unfortunate for me that some people did their job unprofessionally and did not give me the correct instructions for how to behave in self-isolation.
"In Spain, I was allowed to go to a pharmacy and a supermarket so that I could get the groceries I needed, which is not the case here.
"I apologise to all the people if I compromised them in some way and I hope that we can manage to get through all this together. Support Serbia and let's stick together."