NS BiH: We pay tribute to the Dragons and coach Baždarević for all they have done for BiH football

Another qualifying cycle for the Bosnia and Herzegovina "A" national team has ended, i.e. the qualifications for the European Championship in France. Unfortunately, our national team players did not manage to defeat the Republic of Ireland team in the playoffs and thus once again make the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina happy, especially the fans who were with them from match to match, it was announced from the Football Federation of BiH, reports the BiH news agency Patria.

The desired result was not achieved despite all the efforts of the Football Federation of BiH to stabilize the situation in the national team after the initial defeats in the qualifiers. This was somewhat achieved after Mehmed Baždarević took over as coach. Unfortunately, only until the playoff matches, in which our national team, along with all other unfavorable circumstances, played below its real capabilities.

After qualifying for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, fans, as well as the Federation, with understandable optimism, expected this series of successes to continue in the EP qualifiers. This did not happen, and therefore the Federation, together with the coach and players, hereby expresses regret, but also gratitude to the true fans, media, and sponsors who were with the national team in all victories and all defeats. Even in the most recent and painful one, in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland.

However, victories and defeats are an integral part of the game of football. The qualifying cycle for the EP will be thoroughly analyzed within the Federation's structures, and conclusions will be incorporated into future plans. At the same time, the NS/FS BiH has already started planning upcoming obligations and working on new projects.

Unity within the Federation

There is complete unity within the Federation and a desire to preserve the stable atmosphere that has characterized the work of the governing body of football in BiH in recent years. It has been shown that this approach yields results, which were primarily reflected in qualifying for the WC in Brazil, to some extent in the qualifying cycle for the EP (except for the playoffs themselves), but also through organizational and financial consolidation, and progress made in the Premier League of BiH, as well as other competitions.

We intend to preserve such an approach in the future. The Federation has a defined strategic work program and goals to be achieved. Members of our management have a clear vision of the strength and future of BiH football, which they will strive to achieve with the support of expert teams, as well as the public and media, and current and future sponsors. The ultimate goal is an absolutely stable football organization in BiH in which new talents will get a chance for development and affirmation. BiH has them, and they can very quickly become new stars like Edin Džeko and other former and current national team players.

We express our recognition to our Dragons, who are role models for many young footballers, as well as to coach Mehmed Baždarević, for all they have done for BiH football, convinced that, learning from the experience in the completed qualifiers, they will continue with new victories in the next competitive cycle for qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

This, we believe, will bring new joy to our fans and create an atmosphere in which the BiH public will once again be proud of our national team players and their victories. The Federation's management will, as always, make maximum efforts to prepare an environment in which good results will be achieved and opportunities will be given to talented players and good coaches.