Serbia & Montenegro coach Dusko Vujosevic has been hit with a new problem after his assistant Miodrag Baletic quit.

Baletic, coach of the Buducnost club, sent a fax saying that he was too tied up with the Montenegrin club and added that: "He can't continue to work with the national team anymore".

It was the last thing the coach needed ahead of the European Championships after a series of hitches.

Captain and Barcelona guard Dejan Bodiroga, together with forward Dejan Tomasevic, asked for a holiday and then Phoenix Suns' Zarko Cabarkapa, Aleksandar Pavlovic of the Utah Jazz and Detroit Piston Darko Milicic declined call-ups.

Vujosevic was surprised at his latest defection just a day after returning from the German spa town of Rotenburg.

"This is my fault if we can talk about anybody's fault in this moment," he said. "I picked Baletic as my assistant and I will take full responsibility for his act. But, I must say something else – I am not a basketball institution.

"Our Basketball Association of Serbia & Montenegro (KSSCG) is and its people must deal with situations like this one, as we need some system answers for such problems."

On a more positive note Vujosevic gave high marks for his players’ attitude in Rotenburg.

"We worked together very hard doing tactics exercises as well as possible," he said although he admitted the turnout was low.

"We've had most problems with our centres as Dejan Milojevic was injured and completely out of training and Dragan Tarlac has some unfinished business.

"Our dearth of centres was a huge blow for other high players which resulted with some injuries of which the most serious was for Nenad Krstic.

"Also, Dragan Tarlac injured himself during individual training in Belgrade so we've already sent him to Madrid, for rehabilitation," added Vujosevic.

Kosta Perovic is now back on board after the Under-21 national team successfully qualified for the Euro championships in Poland while Sacramento Kings' star Peja Stojakovic is due to link up with the squad in Thessaloniki.

The coach said: "We'll continue to work as much as it is possible. Even if we have huge difficulties at the moment. I do not regret my decision to take control of the Serbia & Montenegro national team.

"It is a big honour to be a head-coach of the world champions and I can say that we are all looking for success at the European Championship in Sweden."

The Blues will take part in their first friendly tournament this summer in Thessaloniki (August 8-10) where they will play Greece, Australia and Bulgaria.