RS BiH is in a situation it has never been in before in history

A press conference of the BiH Handball Federation was held at the Hills Hotel in Ilidža, where the newly elected national team director Gordan Muzurović, senior national team coach Bilal Šuman, and coaches of the junior teams Jasmin Mrkonja and Nebojša Golić addressed the journalists, reports Patria agency.

- I am pleased that you are following the work of the national handball teams. I want to avoid all disagreements and start with a proper narrative. Please do not seek information related to the BiH national team elsewhere; I am at your disposal.

As a serious person, I have written many proposals. I was asked to write the bylaws for the BiH national teams, which I did. After that, a session of the BiH Handball Federation was held, with the national team on its agenda. As a serious person, not for my own sake but for the sake of the national team, I withdrew my candidacy because the BiH national team cannot be a priority on 13 out of 14 points. In the meantime, members of the Management Board realized this and tasked the president and coaches to discuss the matter, and we reached the conclusion that everything I had written earlier would be adopted. In all of this, I had two choices.

The first choice was to take on the role of an observer from a comfortable armchair and have no responsibility, and I had a second choice, which was to be a daringly brave person dedicated to handball and committed to the work. I chose the second option, which has nothing to do with personal circumstances. I will responsibly state that the BiH Handball Federation is in a situation it has never been in before in its history. We have a situation where the BiH Handball Federation is burdened by an account blockade that originated in the past period. The debt is three million KM. I do not have the authority to deal with these matters. I would like to take this opportunity to greet you, journalists, who have objectively assessed the overall situation regarding the state of BiH handball. The national team is the elite part of the Federation – stated Muzurović.

The coach of the BiH senior handball team, Bilal Šuman, presented his first year of work in that position to the public.

The celebrated BiH handball player emphasized that he will not back down an inch, regardless of the various problems he encountered over the past 12 months.

- It has been a year since my appointment as the national team coach, and this vision of work that was conceived for how the national teams should operate. I have not given up an inch, and as you know, it has been turbulent, difficult, and many things have happened, both in the sporting aspect and in logistics – said Šuman, and presented a detailed report of the work done.

- We established a U14 team that did not exist; we have U16 and U18 teams, which will become U20 teams from next year, thus giving us four youth teams and a senior team. The fact is that we did not qualify for the European Championship in Croatia; we played five friendly matches; we established a base at the Hills Hotel for the senior team and at Hollywood for the youth teams, which played in various tournaments in Greece and in BiH cities like Zavidovići and Tešanj. This work was so difficult at times that, in every way possible, I as the coach and my associates gave a lot to prevent the disqualification of the national team. The work was difficult in many aspects, and it ended as it ended.

Šuman also announced better days for BiH handball.

- We have established a system that did not exist before; we want to work with all youth teams. My desire and that of all senior national team players is to qualify for a major competition. In our senior team, 12 players have enrolled in the Faculty of Sports; we want to work on the education of national team players. However, you know that there have been terrible logistical problems; we are having many discussions and convincing people about what we want; any help is welcome. I am glad that we have a national team director who has the will, desire, and drive, with whom we will have the necessary help, and we will be able to focus on matters related to the field.

A work plan is ready for 2017 and 2018; the senior team expects qualifications for the World Championship; for the youth teams, we are planning joint and individual gatherings. Our desire, goal, and obligation are for all of us involved in this endeavor to do everything to make it happen and be realized. Now we have a connection in the form of Director Muzurović; our goal is to create an image and an environment where the national team becomes a brand, thus having a clear vision and picture of how it should look, which will also facilitate the work of the clubs – concluded Šuman.

The coaches of our country's junior national teams also addressed the journalists.

- We need to be positive. It has never been a more difficult time for handball in our country. Progress is not quick; there are many problems. We had four gatherings for the junior teams; one was blocked by the federation. There is a plan for gatherings of the senior and all junior teams. What interests me most is the ball. Frequent gatherings and strong matches are very important. We will try everything in our power to find solutions for more frequent gatherings, especially for the youngest age groups – said Jasmin Mrkonja, coach of the 2002 generation.

- I was the first to bring a BiH national team to Banja Luka; it was the U17 boys' team, and I hope it will not stop there. We want to raise all of this to a higher level. I appeal to all people to help as much as they can – said Nebojša Golić, coach of the U17 team.