Bosnia faces exclusion from FIFA, UEFA

Bosnia’s Football Federation (NS/FSBIH) was threatened to be excluded from international competitions as it has failed to adopt statute changes requested by FIFA and UEFA.

Only 27 out of 60 delegates backed the changes aimed at replacing an ethnic-based tripartite presidency by a single president, a statement by the NS/FSBIH said.

A support of two-thirds majority was needed in order to have the changes adopted.

The presidency’s members represent the country’s three ethnic communities – Croats, Muslims and Serbs.

FIFA and UEFA had requested the statute changes as their representatives visited the former Yugoslav republic late last month.

UEFA official, Marc Leblanc, was quoted at the federation site as saying at the time that if the changes were not adopted NS/FSBIH could be banned, meaning the squad and clubs would not be able to take part in international competitions.