Serbia well on the way to Russia 2018, but Stankovic highlights domestic difficulties

While Serbia are on track to qualify for next year's
World Cup in Russia, there are problems beneath
the surface.
As former midfielder and the country's most-
capped player Dejan Stankovic puts it, Serbia are
"well on the way to the World Cup" under head
coach Slavoljub Muslin, who has the Balkan nation
top of Group D after five games.
But, domestically, Serbian football is struggling.
Once the home of European champions - Red Star
Belgrade in 1991 - the SuperLiga provides little on
the continental stage as finances cripple the
titleholders and city rivals Partizan in their
attempts to challenge abroad, despite maintaining
a reputation as a production line for some of
Europe's finest players.
Still recovering from the tumultuous breakup of
Yugoslavia, Red Star have failed to qualify for the
Champions League proper since 1992 - a year in
which the Belgrade side competed in the group
stage, won the Intercontinental Cup and finished
runners-up in the UEFA Super Cup - a far cry from
the glory days of Dejan Savicevic, Sinisa
Mihajlovic, Robert Prosinecki and Darko Pancev,
who helped the Serbian giants conquer Marseille
and Europe 26 years ago.
While Red Star - who lost in the third round of
Champions League qualifying this season -
continue to dominate domestically, they are
struggling to reach the lofty heights of 1991 but
club icon Stankovic believes a limit in foreign
players competing in the SuperLiga might help.
Speaking to Omnisport, Stankovic - who won four
trophies during his time in the Serbian capital
before moving on to Lazio and then Inter - said:
"Serbia has a lot of talented athletes and football
players. Children in general like sports and football.
I know that FSS has decided about limiting the
number of the foreign players for next season,
which means that domestic players will have an
advantage.
"However, there is a market where the material
status is very important and it is much better for
football clubs in Western Europe. That is the reason
why young talented players leave too early.
"It is very difficult to make changes because the
market is open and free for every available player.
The most important thing is that the clubs in
Europe like Crvena Zvezda [Red Star] have to be
financially stable and retain young talents at least
for a few years."
A so-called Balkan league has also been proposed
to help clubs compete in Europe.
The regional competition would combine teams
from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-
Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia, but
Stankovic does not feel it is the solution.
"I know that UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is
against the idea, as he believes that domestic
competitions are the foundation of football in
Europe," he said.
In the meantime, Branislav Ivanovic, Dusan Tadic,
Nemanja Matic and Aleksandar Kolarov are leading
the way on the international stage as Serbia look
to qualify for their first major tournament since
2010.
"Serbia are well on the way to the World Cup. That
is the best proof of the quality of these players,"
Stankovic concluded. "I am following their careers
at club level and I think their roles are deserved.
Otherwise, Serbia are a team, and only as a team
they can go to the World Cup.
"Tadic is a player who makes a difference. A player
who can resolve every game, and he will make
progress in his career, no doubt.
"Marko Grujic [of Liverpool] is a talent of European
and Serbian football. He plays in a good club with
a great coach. His departure from Crvena Zvezda
depended on financial conditions but there is no
reason to regret because he will get all conditions
for progress. He has to be devoted and disciplined
and to listen to his coach."