Gjergja announces shortened list of basketball national team players, Dubai unexpectedly shortens by three players from that club!

(Patria) - Head coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina men's national basketball team, Dario Gjergja, has shortened the list of players he counts on during preparations for World Cup qualification matches against Turkey and Serbia.

Fifteen basketball players received call-ups: Xavier Castaneda (Unicaja, Spain), Adnan Arslanagić (Trepča, Kosovo), Sani Čampara (Sloboda Energoinvest), Amar Gegić (SC Derby, Montenegro), Edin Atić (Bosna BH Telecom), Tarik Hrelja (Student m:tel), Adin Vrabac (Szolnok, Hungary), Vojin Ilić (Igokea m:tel), Haris Delalić (Bosna BH Telecom), Amar Alibegović (Trapani, Italy), Ajdin Penava (Slask, Poland), Stefan Simanić (Šiaulai, Lithuania), Nikola Marić (Girona, Spain), Emir Sulejmanović (Unicaja, Spain) and Asim Gutić (Bosna BH Telecom).

It was also planned that call-ups would be sent to three Bosnian basketball players who play for Dubai (Džanan Musa, Kenan Kamenjaš, Kosta Kondić), but the leadership of the Basketball Federation of BiH was informed that they do not have the club's permission to join the Dragons in this qualification 'window'.

- We really did everything to have Musa, Kamenjaš and Kondić be part of the national team at the November gathering, but we did not encounter understanding from Dubai's officials. We tried to arrange for them to be available to the coach at least for the match against Serbia in Skenderija, but even though Dubai has no scheduled official matches in that period, they stuck to their position of not allowing them to join the national team at this time. We are aware that Musa is injured, but I don't see why, for example, it is a problem to release Kamenjaš.

So, we are unpleasantly surprised, especially considering that Dubai declares themselves as friends of Bosnian basketball, and such moves certainly do not confirm that. We also know that some other Dubai players have been called up to their national teams, such as Sanli and Dangubić, and we will certainly follow with great interest whether they will get permission from this club to play for Turkey and Serbia, respectively - says the Secretary General of the Basketball Federation of BiH, Dževad Alihodžić.

The gathering of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team is scheduled for Monday, November 24.