Belgrade, July 7 (AP) - Bora Milutinovic ended weeks of football suspense in Serbia and Montenegro by declining an offer to coach the national team, the head of the country's football federation said Monday.
"We talked on the phone this morning," federation chief Dragan Stojkovic told reporters of his conversation with Milutinovic.
"Milutinovic's answer was a definite 'No' - he said he was turning down the offer because of private and personal reasons."
According to Stojkovic, Milutinovic rejected media allegations his move was prompted by financial reasons.
The football scene in Serbia and Montenegro held its breath for three weeks after initial reports Milutinovic would accept last
month's offer.
A respected globe-trotting football figure, Milutinovic has coached the United States, China, Mexico, Costa Rica and Nigeria in the World Cup.
He was expected to replace Dejan Savicevic, who resigned after the team endured a humiliating 2-1 loss to Azerbaijan recently, virtually forfeiting any chance of qualifying for the European Championships.
Serbia-Montenegro, once a European football powerhouse when known as Yugoslavia, is suffering through a generational change on the national team. Several standouts playing abroad are nearing retirement and have no real successors in the weak domestic league.
Since the offer became public, Milutinovic denied premature rumors he was turning it down and confessed to being "in a big dilemma."
On Monday, Stojkovic recalled his own earlier comments of a "done deal" with Milutinovic and said that "something must have happened in the meantime to change his mind."
"He heard various stories of how the league was doing badly, the clubs were without money, the political climate was bad," Stojkovic added.
A new coach for the troubled squad will be appointed by the week's end.
