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Bosnia and Herzegovina boss Sergej Barbarez has accused Welshman Steve Cooper of dropping his Brondby midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic because of his side’s upcoming World Cup play-off in Wales.
The two sides meet in a play-off semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday, with the winners playing Italy or Northern Ireland five days later for a place at the World Cup.
Barbarez claimed on Monday that Cooper, who was appointed manager of Brondby in September, had purposely omitted Tahirovic from the Danish club’s last two matchday squads because of Thursday’s qualifier.
“Benjo has told me some things that are hard to believe,” Barbarez said at a press conference in Sarajevo.
“It has something to do with his coach’s roots and origins. When your coach wishes you, but not your national team, good luck, everything is much clearer.
“He (Cooper) has told him that everything will return to normal after the national team season.
“I am not like that, I love and value sport and competition more.”
Pontypridd-born Cooper, the former Leicester, Nottingham Forest and Swansea manager, has previously said Tahirovic and Suriname defender Sean Klaiber were dropped for failing to “live up to the values” of the club, but refused to get into specifics.
Steve Cooper has been accused of dropping Benjamin Tahirovic because of his affiliation to Wales (Getty Images)
Brondby’s communications director Soren Hanghoj refuted Barbarez’s claim and said the decision to drop Tahirovic was a “club decision”.
Hanghoj told Danish TV station TV 2 Sport: “This is quite a far-reaching speculation.
“Steve has publicly stated the considerations behind the decision – and none of them have the slightest connection with either national team. That goes without saying.
“It is not just a head coach who is the sponsor of a decision like the one in question here.
“It is a club decision that has been made jointly by an entire coaching team and the sporting management.
“And there are not that many Wales fans in Brondby after all.”