After Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the World Cup, unfounded comments emerged, primarily from journalists in Serbia, claiming there is no place for members of the Serbian people in the BiH national team. Of course, that is not true, as the BiH national team has always included players from all ethnic groups, without regard to who is who. Many Serbs who received call-ups to the BiH national team declined to respond, with the latest examples being David Vuković, Vladan Kovačević, Svetozar Marković, Srđan Babić, and numerous others who could have been part of the team.
This view is shared by the President of the BiH Football Association, Vico Zeljković. Appearing on ATV, he stated that only the best players and those who want to play for the BiH national team are considered. "A great result has been achieved, and instead of focusing on that—especially since the four-time world champion was eliminated in the playoffs—some immediately turn to other issues. These claims are not true. We must separate certain things. This is football, and we do not mix politics and sports. The best players and those with the highest quality should play here. Everyone who wants to play is in contention and on our radar," Zeljković said, then refuted the negative comments: "In the coaching staff, alongside Sergej Barbarez, there are Ninoslav Milenković and Siniša Mrkobrada, who are members of the Serbian people. Barbarez’s father is also Serbian. It’s foolish to talk about such topics, about who is who. Jovo Lukić was invited; it was purely a matter of fitness that he was in the stands for both matches because he had an injured arm and arrived at the gathering with an injury. Unfortunately, these things are simply like that in this region. We must work responsibly and have a clear vision and plan," Zeljković concluded.
He also emphasized that his family ties and the fact that Milorad Dodik is his uncle have never been a problem for him. It neither helped nor hindered his career, and he added that he often talks about sports with Dodik solely because the former president of Republika Srpska loves sports, especially basketball.