Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH’s) national football team selector Robert Prosinecki informed on Tuesday here that Ognjen Vranjes is no longer player of country’s national team.
“He has disqualified himself from the national team,” Prosinecki said during the press conference here, explaining that BiH Football Association has brought the decision to disqualify Vranjes because of conflict with fans, tattoos of war criminals and scandal with Serbian singer Jelena Karleusa.
“We all have to be in the service of the national team and the country, and we should strive towards the placement in the European Championship. We do not need even the smallest problems in the team,” Prosinecki warned.
In 2018, BiH’s national team defensive player appeared with the tattoo of Momcilo Dujic, Serbian Orthodox priest and war commander during the Second World War. Somewhere in November last year, Vranjes entered in numerous verbal fights with fans, after which he was engaged in a scandal, releasing explicit content of videos and text messages with Serbian singer Jelena Karleusa.
Ognjen Vranješ, born 24 October 1989, is a Bosnian professional footballer who played as a centre back for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
Vranješ started his professional career at Borac Banja Luka, before moving to Red Star Belgrade in 2009. In 2010 he had loan spells with Napredak Kruševac and Sheriff Tiraspol. He then played in Russia for Krasnodar and Spartak Vladikavkaz and in Turkey for Elazığspor and Gaziantepspor. In 2016 Vranješ joined Sporting Gijón, only to sign with Tom Tomsk later that year. A year later he moved to AEK Athens. The following year he was transferred to Anderlecht.
A former youth international for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vranješ made his senior international debut in 2010, earning over 30 caps since. He represented the nation at their first major tournament, the 2014 FIFA World Cup.