Monday May 29 2006 15:30
Serbia & Montenegro coach Ilija Petkovic says that recent political changes in the country will not get in the way of his squad's preparations for the World Cup finals.
The current set-up is likely to be split up following the finals, after Montenegro voted for independence from their neighbours, but Petkovic has eyes only for the football field.
He said: "We are thinking just about football, as football is the reason we gathered this team.
"We started the qualifications as Serbia & Montenegro and our obligation is to finish this competition as Serbia & Montenegro.
"I will be the first coach at a World Cup who will be at helm of team that represents two independent countries and I'll do my best to do that job as well as possible."
Meanwhile, Petkovic was content with his side's display in the 1-1 draw with Uruguay, with Dejan Stankovic having netted against the South Americans.
"We've played against good opponents and although Uruguay gave our defence quite a lot of a problems, I'm still satisfied," Petkovic added.
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