"First kick at 2014 WC should be with his blue ball, " Peda Knezevic wrote under Swanson's YouTube video.

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But Mr Knezevic's murder has not blunted the drive by Mrs Plavsic and Mr Dodik against their Pale rivals.

ECONOMIST: Serb Republic

Mr Krajisnik arranged to spring the ex-director from jail and reportedly predicted that Mr Knezevic's life would be in jeopardy.

ECONOMIST: Serb Republic

And on August 7th Pale's deputy police chief, Srdjan Knezevic, a recent convert to Mrs Plavsic's cause, was shot dozens of times outside his home.

ECONOMIST: Serb Republic

The killing looks like revenge for Mr Knezevic's arrest of a former director of Centrex, the company through which hardliners have financed their activities by selling contraband coffee, tobacco, alcohol and fuel.

ECONOMIST: Serb Republic