Serbia to take spot in Euro 2008

The official badge of the now defunct Serbia and Montenegro team

Serbia's independence from Montenegro will not affect the qualifying draw for the Euro 2008 finals.

Montenegro's pending independence had raised questions over the draw which had Serbia and Montenegro competing as a single country in Group A.

Montenegro will compete as a separate nation in the future, but not for the Euro 2008 tournament.

Serbia replace Serbia and Montenegro in Group A, with their first qualifier against Azerbaijan on 2 September.

Uefa wants Fifa to ratify the Montenegrin Football Association before it can be treated as a separate entity.

The team competed at the summer's World Cup in Germany as Serbia and Montenegro - the first and last time the nation played under that name in a World Cup.

Coach Ilija Petkovic resigned after a poor tournament in which Serbia and Montenegro lost all three matches. He has been replaced by former Spain coach Javier Clemente.

Serbian president Boris Tadic has recognised the results of Montenegro's vote for independence, meaning there should be no hurdles to the process of establishing the country's independence.