Edin Halilović

See some Serbs and Serbian media talking about Matej Deket (2009), so let me clear this up. I said a year and a half ago that he'd end up representing Bosnia and the reason was never the FSS. Deket is simply an exception. On his father's side, the family has some Ukrainian ancestry and belongs to a small minority in Bosnia. Although he represented the RS youth teams because he's from there, they have no affiliation with Serbia itself or any real desire to represent us. He was never ours to lose. But if there's one group we do exceptionally well with, both locally and in the diaspora, it's talents from Republika Srpska. Most would jump at the chance to represent Serbia if approached before becoming cap-tied at youth level, as Stefan Gudelj (2006) and Savo Radanović (2009) did in recent times. Some even skip Bosnia altogether, like Matej Strika (2009), who's been with Serbia since the U15s. Then there are players already cap-tied at youth level who could become interesting later on, like Andrija Pejaković (2009) at Zvezda. They can still switch at senior level, just as Petar Sučić did with Croatia. In many cases, waiting is the smarter move, because switching too early takes away one of their options. As a player though, Deket is a talented, atypical forward and more than likely Borac Banja Luka's best academy product in modern times. Right now he's more of a second striker who needs to be the reference point to have the biggest influence, as he lacks the pace and mobility to consistently impact larger areas otherwise. He does have an intriguing frame and already protects the ball very well. Everyone's personal choice should be respected, just like when someone chooses Serbia. No need for hypocrisy. Best of luck to him.