Goalkeeper Dejan Stojanović has been called up by the Austrian U19 national team for their upcoming October qualifiers.

The father of Dejan Stojanović told us yesterday that Dejan only has Austrian nationality due to the rules in Austria. A player can’t have two nationalities in Austria so Stojanović had to decide between a Macedonian or Austrian passport. Since Dejan Stojanović signed with Italian club Bologna earlier in the summer, he opted for an Austrian passport because they are a member of the European Union, unlike Macedonia, and it will be easier for him to see action for Bologna. Keep in mind that many of the top European leagues have restrictions on non EU players so that can be a detriment in some situations. Ilco Naumoski was also facing the same dilemma since he grew up in Austria but he gave up his Austrian passport in order to keep his Macedonian passport.

Dejan’s father also told us yesterday that Stojanović has always wanted to play for Macedonia but decided it was best for his career to have Austrian nationality at this moment. In the past, Stojanović did play in several friendlies for the Macedonian U21 national team but a player doesn’t need to have a passport from that country to play in a friendly match.

We would like to add that our website has been very good to Dejan Stojanović. We included him regularly in the Macedonian internationals performances, wrote about the transfer rumors surrounding him earlier this summer, and published his transfer to Bologna. His several appearances with the Macedonian U21 national team did help Dejan gain more recognition and it eventually led to his move to Bologna. However, Stojanović had several options (he also could have chosen Serbia) but he ultimately decided to accept the call up to the Austrian U19 national team.

Here is the Austrian U19 squad, courtesy of the website of the Austrian football association:

Goalkeepers: Richard Strebinger (Hertha BSC Berlin), Dejan Stojanović (FC Bologna)

Defenders: Fabian Hafner (FC Wacker Innsbruck II), Florian Neuhold (SK Sturm Graz Amateurs), Gerald Peinsipp (SKN St. Pölten), Stefan Petrović (Hertha BSC Berlin), Pius Simma (FC Lustenau 1907), Lukas Spendlhofer (Inter Milan)

Midfielders: Christian Gartner (SV Mattersburg), Marcel Ritzmair (PSV Eindhoven), Kevin Stöger (VfB Stuttgart), Robert Völkl (FC Red Bull Juniors Salzburg), Sebastian Wimmer (LASK)

Attackers: Seifedin Chabbi (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Daniel Krenn (FC Red Bull Juniors Salzburg), Philipp Prosenik (Chelsea FC), Jannick Schibany (SKN St. Pölten), Srđan Spiridinović (FK Austria Wien Amateurs)

We respect the decision by Dejan Stojanović. In the end, it’s his decision and he has the right to choose which country to represent internationally. Macedonia will move on as we also have a very talented young keeper in Stole Dimitrievski (five months younger than Stojanović) who will move to Italian club Udinese in the 2012 January transfer window from Rabotnichki.