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![]() Coach's son is pulled out of squad
![]() Coach Petkovic said his son Dusan could not stand the pressure. SPECIAL REPORTMUENSTER, Germany -- The son of Serbia and Montenegro coach Ilija Petkovic has been pulled out of the squad for the World Cup finals after a row over nepotism. Centerback Dusan Petkovic returned home on Tuesday morning from the team's training camp in Felden, Austria, and his father told Serbian media on the flight to Germany they made the decision to "put an end to an ordeal". "After a meeting between the Football Association president Tomislav Karadzic, Dusan and myself, we decided it was for the best to send Dusan home," he said. Dusan, called up last week as a replacement for injured striker Mirko Vucinic, appeared to have taken some of the media pressure off himself and his father when he scored in the final warm-up against a Carynthia selection. There had been an avalanche of criticism in local media following Dusan's selection. "He couldn't stand the pressure. There was a lot going against him and he didn't want to put either the manager or the other players through the trouble," team spokesman Aleksandar Boskovic told Belgrade's Beta news agency. The spokesman said it was meeting FIFA on Tuesday to discover if Petkovic junior could be replaced, as he had not been injured. Dusan returned to the Serbia and Montenegro first division in April after spells with Spartak Moscow and in the Bundesliga. The 32-year-old OFK Belgrade defender has scored one goal in 12 internationals and played no part in qualifying when the Serbs conceded one goal in 10 unbeaten matches. On arrival at the Muenster airport in Germany, captain Savo Milosevic said the team were in good spirits and hoping to reach the second round from a difficult group including Argentina, the Netherlands and Ivory Coast. "The team spirit is outstanding and nothing can disrupt the atmosphere we have got." "Those of us who are here will play our hearts out and we are confident we can do well in the tournament." Serbia and Montenegro open their Group C campaign against the Netherlands in Leipzig on June 11, followed by fixtures with Argentina and Ivory Coast.
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