Red Star Belgrade have taken steps to grant Serbian citizenship to their Ghanaian players Edmund Addo and Osman Bukari in order to circumvent the restrictions on foreign players in the Serbian Superliga.
The move will allow the players to compete as domestic players in the domestic championship, as per reports in Serbia.
Under current regulations, Serbian Superliga clubs are only permitted to field a maximum of four foreign players. Red Star exceed this quota with a number of foreign footballers on their roster. To address the issue, they have chosen to grant Serbian citizenship to Addo and Bukari, similar to the process previously undertaken for Gabon midfielder Guelor Kanga
Addo has been in the process of acquiring Serbian citizenship for some time, while the application process has recently commenced for Bukari. It is anticipated that both players will obtain Serbian passports in due course.
The club previously resolved a similar issue by facilitating the acquisition of Serbian passports for certain players. Marko Stamenić, who is a member of the New Zealand national team, obtained Serbian citizenship through his father’s lineage. Yegor Prutsev and Gelor Kanga already possessed Serbian passports.
Addo recently from Spartak Subotica, and Bukari arrived last summer from Belgian side Gent. Red Star Belgrade aim to bolster their squad with quality players while adhering to the foreign player limitations imposed by the league. The acquisition of Serbian citizenship enables Addo and Bukari to continue contributing to the team’s success as domestic players in the upcoming season.
