By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Despite being ready to get a Kosovar passport and play for the Kosovar national team, Justin Doellman will not be accepted to play as a Kosovar in the Spanish league.
Kosovo is not recognized as a country by Spain and the Spanish CSD (Superior Sports Council) clarified that Doellman will not be granted a EU player status. As Miguel Cardenal, Spanish state secretary of sports, said in “El Mundo Deportivo”: “We are still waiting to see a lot of things and you should first have a club which wants to register a player with this kind of passport, but have no doubt whatsoever that this passport in Spain is not valid. This is a country not recognized by Spain, so neither the player nor any other could get a certain status associated with a nationality that Spain does not recognize”.
Kosovo remains a disputed territory and partially recognised state that declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 as the Republic of Kosovo. While Serbia recognises administration of the territory by Kosovo’s elected government, it still continues to claim it as its own Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Spain is among the countries not recognizing Kosovo as a state. On the contrary, Turkey, France, Germany and Italy has recognized it. Still according to Turkish BSL rules, no matter the password, if a player is not a Turk, he has the same status as foreigner.