Principle role for Papac

The Rangers defender tells Martin Hannan why he will not play for Bosnia

SASA PAPAC does not seem at first sight to be a standard-bearer for a new moral army in football. He is almost diffident-looking, with halting English. Yet there is no doubting the sincerity of his strong views as he ruled himself out playing for his home country in protest at the ongoing rulers of the Bosnian FA.

Serious allegations were made two years ago against Bosnian FA president Iljo Dominkovic and general-secretary Munib Usanovic. Suffice to say they involve well-publicised stories of personal gain.

Up to 10 internationalists, including Papac, refused to play back then and earlier this year, manager Meho Kodro was dismissed for defying the Bosnian FA who wanted their team to play a lucrative friendly against international outcasts Iran. Kodro said no and was sacked. In the next friendly against Azerbaijan, more players quit, just 50 fans paid to watch, and the Bosnian media boycotted the match.

New Bosnian manager Miroslav Blazevic, who coached Croatia when they reached the 1998 World Cup semi-finals, was appointed earlier this year and during the summer break Papac said he might reconsider his decision, out of respect for Blazevic.

The new manager duly selected Papac for Bosnia's crucial world cup tie against Turkey next week, but the Rangers man will not be going.

"It has been a difficult question, but I do not want to play," said Papac. "I cannot work together with the president of the federation. I am selected, but I have spoken to the manager twice and told him I will not be going. I have also faxed the Federation."

The Bosnian FA leadership went public with criticisms of Papac and other senior players, a couple of whom have returned to international football.

"I have never had any problems with the managers, it's just the federation," said Papac. "The president has also been giving interviews about me in the past few days, but I do not want a war of words in the newspapers.

"Maybe in the next one or two years something positive will happen and maybe I will go back, but at the moment we have no communication and they keep having to change the manager every six months and we are not getting results, but every time the president says he is not guilty."

Papac must be applauded for his stance, which hopefully will serve as an example to everyone in Scottish football that the game is not exempt from ordinary decent morality – the remaining bigoted fans on either side of the Old Firm might take note.

The tragedy for Papac and all those who take principled stands is that UEFA and FIFA seem powerless or unwilling to act on the really heavy stuff. Will the Bosnian FA be expelled from either organisation if the allegations stick? A snowball will walk through hell smeared in petrol and smoking a large Havana cigar before the spineless people who run world football finally kick out the ugliness that besmirches the beautiful game.

Getting back to more mundane stuff, Papac, who signed for three years in 2006, hopes to put pen to his new contract shortly, perhaps even before today's match at St Mirren. It will keep him at Ibrox until 2011: "We have had a talk and Rangers are happy with me so maybe it will happen in the next day or two. It will be no problem for me to sign."

Walter Smith is already on record as saying Papac has earned the new contract and the player agrees his recent form at left-back has helped him: "I am happy with my play. I am trying to play forward and help the strikers, and with the team playing well, I am enjoying my football. I prefer left back and will forget about being a central defender.

"We have been playing well and scoring goals, four against Celtic, three against Hibs, and it is all very positive at the moment – it is very nice to play in this team at present."

Papac takes much satisfaction from being the only Paul Le Guen signing still at Ibrox and unconsciously hinted at why he has been different from the likes of Libor Sionko and Filip Sebo: "I have given everything since my first day at Rangers. I want to stay here, I give 100 per cent in training and in every game. I just want to focus on Rangers and never think about playing for another club."

His decision on Bosnia will help in that respect: "Last year I had too many games, but that won't happen this year."

For Sasa Papac, there is no international or European football this season. The latter can be fixed by Rangers, but for him to play again for Bosnia seems to need a miracle.