Banned Bosnia names squad for qualifiers
SARAJEVO - Bosnia coach Safet Susic named his squad for next month's Euro 2012 qualifiers against Romania and Albania on Friday despite his country's international ban.
Susic has already said that he will prepare the national team for the June qualifiers as he believed the suspension could be lifted in time.
Bosnia was suspended by FIFA and UEFA on April 1 after failing to end its three-man inter-ethnic presidency which is out of line with the statutes of the sport's world and European governing bodies.
The Bosnia federation, formed after the 1992-95 Bosnian war ended and the country was divided into two ethnically divided regions, had been run by a three-person presidency whose members were chosen on ethnic rather than professional criteria.
A Serb, a Croat and an ethnic Muslim held the post for 18 months each under a rotating system.
Since the ban, a FIFA-appointed normalisation committee has been working to convince soccer officials across the ethnically-divided country to vote for the new statutes at an assembly on May 26.
FIFA said last week that both it and UEFA were happy with the progress being made and confident the statutes could be approved by the deadline and the ban lifted.
Susic said that Rangers' defender Sasa Papac, who has boycotted the national team years in protest against the federation's policy, declined a call-up but might join the national team next time if new statutes are adopted.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Bosnia, fourth in Group D with seven points from four games, are scheduled to play Romania away on June 3 and host Albania on June 7.