"There is only one team in Mostar," snapped the previously jovial shop owner when I innocently asked whether or not he also stocked the shirt of the current champions of Bosnia, Zrinjski Mostar.
I had tried on the strip of former Yugoslav cup winners Velez Mostar who haven't fared at all well since the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Evicted from their stadium which was then given to Zrinjski and now languishing at the foot of the second tier of the Bosnian footballing pyramid.
While the shop owner's could be interpreted as a fierce kind of loyalty to his team, it also goes to show the divisions that still exist in Bosnian society more than two decades since the end of the most fierce war seen in Europe since the Second World War and one which claimed near to 100,000 lives and displaced millions of others.
Zrinjski are the team of Bosnia's Croat population while Velez represent the country's majority Bosniak (Muslim) population.
When they meet there are fireworks in the stands, literally, and overt displays of nationalistic pride and passion as well as the frenetic waving of Turkish and Croats flags.
Following the break-up of Yugoslavia, Bosnia's Serb population tried to secure territory for its motherland, a move which was met with resistance by the Bosniaks and Croats who then fell out themselves resulting in a bloody war remembered for ethnic cleansing, mass rape and starvation.
The war lasted three years and only drew to a close thanks to UN intervention and today, all three populations live alongside and tolerate each other but don't often agree on the best political course of action.
There are three separate heads of state, one for each slice of the population, and decisions are often made on their behalf from outside the country. It is hoped that EU membership will bring a form of simplicity and stability to Bosnia's governmental hierarchy.
We arrived in Mostar on a sweltering day (as it so often is we were told), after stopping off at the quaint Turkish town of Pocitelj, a small settlement located on a steep hill and dominated by a large Mosque that looks out over the river and settlement below.
Bosnia remains the only country this side of Turkey with a Muslim majority after Ottomans settled the area in the 1460s and is among the poorest in Europe.
Today the majority of Mostar's Croat population still lives on the Western side of the city and the Muslim population in the East with Orthodox Serbs sprinkled in on both sides.
The city, Bosnia's second biggest after the capital Sarajevo is connected by seven bridges including the iconic and grandiose Stari Most bridge, which was completely destroyed and then rebuilt during and following the conflict.
The city's compact and cobbled old town, some of its buildings riddled with bullet holes, is a hive of activity with shops and stalls selling everything from Turkish tea pots to fridge magnets.
Restaurants and cafes take advantage of every available viewpoint of the surrounding valley and the winding Neretva River.
Mostar, named after the guards who kept look out on the bridge, is determined not to forget what happened just over 20 years ago and offers a plethora of museums and photographic exhibitions documenting the atrocities.
The city was the scene of fierce fighting to control its metal industry with 80% of buildings reduced to rubble during the war.
Residents have vowed never again and although they may not always agree with their city neighbours, they live alongside each other and peacefully go about their day to day lives.
The city is beautiful and its people welcoming and hospitable on all sides of the divide, even if visible scars do still exist as a reminder of the conflict on every street corner.
The buzz is palpable as you make your way around the city. Bosnia was my 29th country and the most fascinating by far and yes, I bought the Velez Mostar shirt and put a smile back on the shop owner's face.
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