Serbia coach Djukic targets Beijing medal

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's Olympic football hopes at the Beijing Games next month have been boosted by victory in the tussle to select the best available players, coach Miroslav Djukic said on Thursday.

"We are confident we can do very well in the tournament and win a medal because we have a very good team here," Djukic told a news conference.

"It's a young outfit but many of these lads have played for the senior team and I have a lot of faith in them," he said.

Serbia could not have done much worse at the Athens Games four years ago where they lost 6-0 to Argentina, who went on to win the gold medal, and 5-1 to Australia in the group phase.

After forcing Serbia's top sides to release their under-23 players for the August 7-23 tournament, Djukic now expects Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen to release senior internationals Gojko Kacar and Dusko Tosic.

"FIFA rules clearly state that clubs must not stand in the way of players under 23 years of age for the Olympic Games and I expect both German teams to show common sense," said Djukic.

"We complied with the rules by giving up several players over 23 we would have liked to have in the squad."

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Wednesday that clubs must release their under-23 players for the Olympics despite claims by Europe's leading sides that they were under no obligation to do so.