Sasa Papac cuts an unperturbable figure on the pitch for Rangers, but off it he is looking for a fight. The Bosnian defender has been named in his country’s squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Turkey and Armenia, and he is adamant he will not be reporting for duty.

Papac has not played an international match for two years following a bitter personal war with Iljo Dominkovic, the president of the Bosnian football federation. They have previously tried to call him up, but the answer is always the same. “I’m selected, but I won’t turn up and they know the reason why,” says Papac. “I have no time for the president and the office-bearers, these people don’t know anything about the game.”

Papac insists he has no dispute with Miroslav Blazevic, the wily old Bosnia coach who led Croatia to the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup. “I’ve phoned the manager about the situation and told him I don’t want to play, because I cannot work with the president,” he added. “We have no chance of success as long as he remains, because there is no continuity within the squad. He has given an interview back home about me in the past few days, and it was not a good one. But I am not going to enter into a war of words with him, I spoke to him last year about the situation and he certainly knows how I feel. ”

Bosnia, who are in the tough Group 5 qualifying section, lost their opening game 1-0 to European champions Spain and then defeated minnows Estonia 7-0. They play Turkey in Istan-bul on Saturday and then Armenia in Zenica the following Wednesday. Belgium complete the section, but Papac is prepared to miss out entirely.

Bosnia have been dogged by a series of feuds in recent years, with a mass withdrawal last season of 10 players in protest at the Dominkovic regime. When Bosnia played a friendly against Azerbaijan earlier this year only 50 fans turned up and the media boycotted the match, though some players have now relented. “I don’t know how the supporters feel now about the stance I’ve taken, I reckon half back me and half think I am wrong but I won’t back down,” saysPapac. Bosnia, however, are considering asking for sanctions to be taken against the player. A spokeswoman for their federation revealed: “When he didn’t turn up for the recent games with Spain and Estonia we reported him to Fifa and Uefa. We are still waiting to hear from them, and we are considering taking our case again to the governing bodies.”

By contrast, Papac’s club career is serene. The 28-year-old is negotiating an extension to his Rangers contract – a tribute to the longevity of the defender who is the only signing from Paul Le Guen’s disastrous reign to have survived at the club. “I’ve already had one round of [contract] talks and maybe we will have more in the next few days,” says Papac. “I am pleased the club approached me, it gives me satisfaction because I always try hard, even in training.”

The understated Papac’s contribution is certainly not underestimated by his manager. Walter Smith cited the defender as one of his most consistent players in the troubled early part of this season, while Papac under Smith has made the transition from central defence to fill the club’s problem position of left-back effectively. “This has been my position for the past two years, and I’ve forgotten that I was ever a central defender,” he claims.

Papac excepted, Rangers are still likely to have as many as 14 players away on duty for their countries this week. It is the second interruption to the league programme inside a month and Smith, not so long ago Scotland’s manager, now sees this from a different perspective. “It is a little bit of a distraction,” he says. “I worry the break could lose us some continuity. If you’re having a reasonably consistent run you don’t fancy it very much, whereas if a club isn’t doing so well you welcome the break because it gets everyone away from the place.”

Ideally, Smith would like the governing bodies to adopt Arsène Wenger’s proposal to switch international games to Wednesday and Saturday, instead of the current system with the first match in double-headers at weekends and the second in midweek. “I always wondered why that wasn’t the case, because [clubs] would get players back a week before their next game,” says Smith. “I know the reason of course; international managers want longer with the players and I can see why, having been in that position myself. But from a club point of view you want it the other way round. The current arrangement isn’t ideal.”

As the Premier League leaders prepare for their last-ever trip to Love Street today to play bottom-placed St Mirren, Smith reflected on one of his signing successes, central defender Madjid Bougherra, who has made most fans forget the controversy surrounding Carlos Cuellar’s departure to Aston Villa. “He’s got a real good level of ability for a defender, he could easily play midfield,” says Smith. “I’m delighted with the way he started.”

Cuellar’s own start at Villa has been less than startling but his former manager believes the £9m Spaniard will come good. “He missed practically the whole of preseason [with a calf injury] and it will take time to catch up, but I’m convinced he will do extremely well in England.”

MILLER’S RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Kenny Miller will face St Mirren in a Rangers jersey again, almost eight years on from scoring five in a 7-1 home win over them in his first stint at Ibrox. It makes Miller co-holder of the SPL record for goals in a game, alongside former Rangers striker Marco Negri and current teammate Kris Boyd, who struck five for Kilmarnock against Dundee United in 2004

St Mirren top the league in one respect – the number of red cards received this season. Will Haining was sent off in their opening game at Celtic Park, while Franco Miranda and Tonet Gilerao have also seen red against Motherwell and Hearts respectively. Rangers have had two men sent off, Daniel Cousin and Sasa Papac

Miranda’s red card last time out means he is suspended for today’s game while fellow defenders Haining and Jack Ross are injured. Walter Smith has the luxury of no enforced changes for Rangers