Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team

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This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (March 2009)

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Association	Football Association of B&H
Confederation	UEFA (Europe)
Head coach	Miroslav Blažević
Captain	Emir Spahić
Most caps	Elvir Bolić (55)
Top scorer	Elvir Bolić (24)
Home stadium	Bilino Polje, Zenica Asim Ferhatovic Hase, Sarajevo
FIFA code	BIH
FIFA ranking	45
Highest FIFA ranking	25 (August 2007)
Lowest FIFA ranking	173 (September 1996)
Elo ranking	51
Highest Elo ranking	51 (June 2009)
Lowest Elo ranking	87 (October 5, 1999)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
First international
Iran 1 - 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Tehran, Iran; June 6, 1993)
Biggest win
Bosnia and Herzegovina 7 - 0 Estonia  (Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina; September 10, 2008)
Biggest defeat
Argentina 5 - 0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (La Plata, Argentina; May 14, 1998)

The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is controlled by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They played their first match against Albania in 1995 after the split of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Before that, Bosnian-Herzegovinian players played for the Yugoslavia national football team. The independent Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team has never qualified for a European or World Championship.

Contents 1 Previous qualifying campaigns 2 Home Stadiums 2.1 Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium (Koševo Stadium) 2.2 Bilino Polje Stadium 3 Euro 2008 qualifiers 4 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 5 Current squad 5.1 Most appearances 6 World Cup record - As Independent Bosnia & Herzegovina 7 World Cup record - As Part of Yugoslavia 8 Notable players 9 European Championship record 10 Previous managers 11 See also 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Previous qualifying campaigns

The team has never qualified for a major tournament, but in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2004, only one goal in the last game against Denmark separated them from the finals in Portugal.

In the World Cup 2006 qualifying round, the Bosnians played surprisingly well when matched against teams like Spain (drawing both times), Belgium (one win, one loss), and Serbia and Montenegro (one draw, one loss).

Playing against the Serbian team inspires much national pride, as is common with any match that features two former Yugoslav republics. Against Serbia and Montenegro, the Bosnian team drew at home but lost the second leg in Belgrade, 1-0. Both matches had extra precautions being taken by officials, to prevent nationalistic rioting. UEFA fined both football federations for disturbances at the match.

Bosnia and Herzegovina finished as runners-up to a Yugoslavia XI in the 2001 Millennium Super Cup in India beating Uruguay and Chile teams along the way. The winner of the tournament pocketed USD 150,000, while second placed Bosnia-Hercegovina took USD 100,000.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's best player and top scorer of all time is Elvir Bolic, who scored 24 goals in 55 caps for his country. For a short period in 2008, he was also an assistant manager of his national side.

Since Nov 30 1995 till today, Bosnia & Herzegovina national side has played 118 games with 53 nations of the world. Of those 79 were official qualification games and 39 international friendlies. In 43 games BiH has been the winning side, 26 games have finished in draw and 49 games were lost. The side has scored 159 goals and conceded 173 goals.

[edit] Home Stadiums

[edit] Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium (Koševo Stadium)

Koševo as it is also known was opened in the year 1947. In 1984, it was reconstructed for the 1984 Winter Olympics, and is therefore often called Olympic Stadium. Now, it is officially called "Asim Ferhatović - Hase" since July 2004, after Asim Ferhatović, the legendary FK Sarajevo player who retired in 1967. Today Koševo can seat 35,630^[1] and is also the home stadium of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team.

[edit] Bilino Polje Stadium

Bilino Polje is the home football stadium of NK Čelik from the city of Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of two stadiums of national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Capacity of stadium is 25,000, but some reports state attendance had exceeded 35,000 in the past.

The stadium was built and opened in 1972. The stadium is considered a "curse" for foreign national teams, due to the fact that the Bosnian national team usually wins or rarely loses their home games at Bilino Polje stadium. Since 1995, the Bosnian national team has played 18 international games in Zenica with a pretty decent record of 11 wins, 4 draws and only 3 losses.

In a period stretching from 1995 to October 2006, Bosnia went undefeated at home in about 15 games played in Zenica. The city of Zenica had to wait another 5 years (1995-2000) before the next match of the national team was played at the stadium. This match was also a friendly, this time against Macedonia, with the final result being a victory for the home side 1-0. The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team never lost on this field until the Euro 2008 qualifier against Hungary.

[edit] Euro 2008 qualifiers

After the World Cup 2006 qualifying round, much was expected of the Bosnian squad for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying. Bosnia and Herzegovina opened their race for the tournament with a 5-2 victory over Malta playing away. However, major disappointing results followed with losses to Hungary and Greece at home soil, and an unexpected draw with Moldova in Chisinau. With nearly no hopes left for the squad, major changes took place. Coach Fuad Muzurovic replaced Blaž Slišković and following the protest of 13 different players against the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina by not attending national games, Muzurovic had to rebuild the national team from scratch. Bosnia was then forced to play the rest of their qualifying games with a B or a C team.

The team was successfully put together but little was expected of the squad since they did not have enough time to go under proper training against the next qualifying match against the solid Norwegians which was awaiting of picking up 3 points as being the home side. However, with a stunning upset the Bosnians took advantage of all chances during the game and came to victory with a 2-1 win, bringing hopes of qualifying back to life.

After the game against Norway, the Bosnian team had two great successes with an astounding victory against Turkey and a marginal victory against Malta. After these two games, the Bosnian squad unfortunately entered their second success depression for the qualifiers which cost them the loss of qualification. A defeat by Hungary and a horrible bitter defeat by Moldova at home soil dramatically changed the morale of both the team and the fans. The Bosnians then suffered two more defeats against Greece and Norway officially dropping them out of qualifications and an extra final conclusive defeat by Turkey marking the end of their Euro 2008 dream.

Currently, Bosnia and Herzegovina are now ranked 33rd in the FIFA World Rankings, after a 20 place jump from 58th, which itself was a major sink from their record high, 25th place, past August.

[edit] 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification

Bosnia and Herzegovina had hired Meho Kodro on 9 January 2008 as their new coach after sacking Fuad Muzurović for a poor campaign in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying. Kodro was fired on 17 May after refusing to lead the national team for a friendly against Iran on 26 May. Miroslav Blažević was hired as Bosnia and Herzegovina's new coach on 10 July. His first match in charge was a friendly against Bulgaria on 20 August, which they just narrowly lost 2-1 at home.

On 6 September 2008, Bosnia began qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup losing 1-0 to the European champions Spain. On 10 September, Bosnia recorded a record 7-0 win over Estonia, the biggest win in their 16-year history. On 11 October, Bosnia and Herzegovina were away to a Turkey side in Istanbul that were missing 10 key players. Bosnia and Herzegovina led at half-time, but Turkey had the luck with them on the night as they won 2-1 to put a dent in a strong Bosnia and Herzegovina's qualifying hopes. Bosnia and Herzegovina knew they had to win their next qualifier against Armenia on 15 October at home. Bosnia and Herzegovina dominated the game and won 4-1 to take a massive win to stay 4th with 6 points.

Bosnia and Herzegovina had to face Belgium in their next two qualifiers and they were very crucial for both teams in their bid to qualify. Bosnia and Herzegovina prepared for Belgium with a thrilling 4-3 win away to surprise package Slovenia away from home on 19 November despite injury problems, and they had suffered a blow when they unexpectedly lost 3-2 to Croatian club Rijeka in Croatia on 11 February 2009, despite using a low-key side.

On 28 March 2009, they played the first game of a double-header against the Red Devils in Genk, Belgium. Heavy underdogs to win, Bosnia and Herzegovina stunned the football world with an impressive 4-2 away win to boost them up to second place after Turkey lost 1-0 to Spain in Madrid. On 1 April, Bosnia and Herzegovina were at home to a Belgium side desperate to bounce back from their home defeat and to keep their coach's, Rene Vandereycken, job. The ten men of Belgium were unable to grab a point away from home, as they received another massive blow, losing 2-1 to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Rene Vandereycken was fired days after the defeats, while Bosnia stayed 2nd with 12 points, 4 ahead of Turkey, which lost 2-1 at home to Spain.

Bosnia and Herzegovina have 4 games left in qualifying which resumes in September that can take them through to the European playoffs. But before those crucial qualifiers, Bosnia and Herzegovina will prepare for them with some friendlies to get ready. Bosnia and Herzegovina's first friendly was away to a developing Uzbekistan in Tashkent on 1 June. 8 players in the starting lineup played in the Bosnian Premijer Liga and in the end, it finished 0-0, a result that suits Bosnia more and it is a pleasing result due to the team selection Bosnia had for the game. They then played a team composed of the best players by the top three coaches from the Premijer Liga on 5 June in Sarajevo. The game was announced after Blažević rejected an offer to play a friendly against Angola in Portugal. Bosnia came from behind to win 2-1 to record another good result against a resilient Premijer Liga Select team. Bosnia's next friendly was to go to Cannes,France to face Oman on 9 June. Bosnia scored late on to secure a 2-1 win over Oman, meaning they had a very positive overall outcome from their 3 friendlies in a 8-day period in June, despite not being at their best with lacklustre performances.

FIFA Ranking

Teams from Group 5 Last Updated 1 July 2009 - Next Release 5 August 2009.

• 002 (=-01) Spain (1590pt)
• 028 (=-16) Turkey (809pt)
• 045 (=-12) Bosnia and Herzegovina (680pt)
• 063 (=00) Belgium (533pt)
• 112 (=+01) Estonia (308pt)
• 122 (=+09) Armenia (243pt)
• Full List

Team v • d • e Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts  Spain 6 6 0 0 13 2 +11 18  Bosnia and Herzegovina 6 4 0 2 18 7 +11 12  Turkey 6 2 2 2 6 5 +1 8  Belgium 6 2 1 3 10 11 −1 7  Estonia 6 1 2 3 5 15 −10 5  Armenia 6 0 1 5 3 15 −12 1

Armenia  – 9 Sep 5 Sep 2 – 2 10 Oct 0 – 2 Belgium  2 – 0 – 2 – 4 3 – 2 1 – 2 10 Oct Bosnia and Herzegovina  4 – 1 2 – 1 – 7 – 0 14 Oct 9 Sep Estonia  1 – 0 14 Oct 10 Oct – 0 – 3 0 – 0 Spain  4 – 0 5 Sep 1 – 0 9 Sep – 1 – 0 Turkey  14 Oct 1 – 1 2 – 1 5 Sep 1 – 2 –

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[edit] Current squad

Current squad, as of June 2009

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Kenan Hasagić February 1, 1980 (1980-02-01) (age 29) 30 0 Istanbul BB GK Asmir Begović June 20, 1987 (1987-06-20) (age 22) 0 0 Portsmouth 12 GK Nemanja Supić January 12, 1982 (1982-01-12) (age 27) 5 0 Anorthosis Famagusta 1 GK Adis Nurković April 28, 1986 (1986-04-28) (age 23) 1 0 Wisła Kraków 3 DF Adnan Mravac April 10, 1982 (1982-04-10) (age 27) 6 0 Mattersburg 8 DF Dario Damjanović July 23, 1981 (1981-07-23) (age 27) 23 2 Kaiserslautern 6 DF Sanel Jahić December 10, 1981 (1981-12-10) (age 27) 4 1 Aris 16 DF Boris Pandža December 15, 1986 (1986-12-15) (age 22) 6 0 Hajduk Split 2 DF Džemal Berberović November 5, 1981 (1981-11-05) (age 27) 33 0 Denizlispor 4 DF Emir Spahić (captain) August 18, 1980 (1980-08-18) (age 28) 30 2 Montpellier 13 DF Safet Nadarević August 30, 1980 (1980-08-30) (age 28) 21 0 Eskişehirspor 14 MF Zlatan Bajramović August 12, 1979 (1979-08-12) (age 29) 32 4 Eintracht Frankfurt 17 MF Senijad Ibričić September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26) (age 23) 17 2 Hajduk Split 18 MF Miralem Pjanić April 2, 1990 (1990-04-02) (age 19) 8 0 Lyon MF Semir Štilić October 8, 1987 (1987-10-08) (age 21) 4 0 Lech Poznań 15 MF Sejad Salihović 8 October 1984 (1984-10-08) (age 24) 11 3 1899 Hoffenheim 6 MF Elvir Rahimić April 4, 1976 (1976-04-04) (age 33) 14 0 CSKA Moscow 7 MF Admir Vladavić June 29, 1982 (1982-06-29) (age 27) 14 0 Red Bull Salzburg 10 MF Zvjezdan Misimović June 5, 1982 (1982-06-05) (age 27) 43 15 Wolfsburg 5 MF Samir Muratović February 25, 1976 (1976-02-25) (age 33) 14 0 Sturm Graz 11 FW Edin Džeko March 17, 1986 (1986-03-17) (age 23) 18 14 Wolfsburg 19 FW Vedad Ibišević August 6, 1984 (1984-08-06) (age 24) 15 3 1899 Hoffenheim 9 FW Zlatan Muslimović March 6, 1981 (1981-03-06) (age 28) 17 12 PAOK FC 17 FW Said Huseinovic May 13, 1988 (1988-05-13) (age 21) 2 0 Werder Bremen 15 FW Marko Topić January 1, 1976 (1976-01-01) (age 33) 26 4 Saturn

[edit] Most appearances

#	Name	Clubs	BiH career	Caps	Goals
1	Elvir Bolić	Rijeka, Rayo Vallecano, Fenerbahçe, Čelik Zenica	1996–2006	55	24
2	Sergej Barbarez	Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, Borussia Dortmund, Hansa Rostock, Union Berlin, Velež Mostar	1998–2006	47	17
3	Vedin Musić	Padova, Torino, Antalyaspor, Sloboda Tuzla	1995–2007	45	0
4	Hasan Salihamidžić	Juventus, Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Velež Mostar	1996–2006	43	6
5	Zvjezdan Misimović	Wolfsburg, Nuremberg, Bayern Munich	2005–present	43	16
6	Muhamed Konjić	Derby County, Coventry City, AS Monaco	1995–2006	38	3
7	Elvir Baljić	Istanbulspor, Fenerbahçe S.K., Galatasaray, Ankaragücü, Real Madrid	1996–2005	38	14
8	Zlatan Bajramović	Eintracht Frankfurt, Schalke	2005–present	31	3
9	Saša Papac	Rangers, Austria Vienna, NK Široki Brijeg	2001–2006	25	0
10	Edin Džeko	VfL Wolfsburg, FK Teplice, FK Željezničar	2007–present	21	14

[edit] World Cup record - As Independent Bosnia & Herzegovina

Year	Round	Position in Qualifiers
1994	Did Not Enter	-
1998	Did Not Qualify	4th out of 5
2002	Did Not Qualify	4th out of 5
2006	Did Not Qualify	3rd out of 6
2010	Qualifying in progress	-
2014	-	-

[edit] World Cup record - As Part of Yugoslavia

Year	Round
1930	Semifinals (no 3rd place match)
1934	Did Not Qualify
1938	Did Not Qualify
1950	Round 1
1954	Quarterfinals
1958	Quarterfinals
1962	Fourth place
1966	Did Not Qualify
1970	Did Not Qualify
1974	Round 2
1978	Did Not Qualify
1982	Round 1
1986	Did Not Qualify
1990	Quarterfinals

[edit] Notable players

SR BiH	BiH
Mirsad "Žvaka" Baljić	Sergej Barbarez
Mehmed Baždarević	Elvir Bolić
Miroslav Brozović	Hasan Salihamidžić
Josip Bukal	Meho Kodro
Mirsad Fazlagić	Edin Džeko
Faruk Hadžibegić	Emir Spahić
Vahid Halilhodžić	Zvjezdan Misimović
Josip Katalinski	Vedin Musić
Ivica "Švabo" Osim	Elvir Baljić
Haris Škoro	Mirsad Bešlija
Blaž Slišković	Vahidin Musemić
Safet Sušić	Muhamed Konjić
Franjo Vladić	Muhamed Mujić
Demir Hotić	Vedad Ibišević
Asim Ferhatović	Saša Papac

[edit] European Championship record

• 1960 to 1992 - was part of SFR Yugoslavia
• 1996 - Did not enter
• 2000 to 2008 - Did not qualify

[edit] Previous managers

Manager	Time Period
Mirsad Fazlagić	1992 - 1993
Fuad Muzurović	1993 - 1998
sead gruda	1998 - 1999
Faruk Hadžibegić	1999
Mišo Smajlović	1999 - 2002
Blaž Slišković	2002 - 2006
Fuad Muzurović	2006 - 2007
Meho Kodro	2008 - 2008
Miroslav Blažević	2008 - present

[edit] See also

• FIFA World Cup
• UEFA European Football Championship
• Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 football team
• Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-19 football team
• Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-17 football team

[edit] References

• FIFA.com: Golden Lilies blossoming - Zlatni Ljiljani Cvjetaju

[edit] External links

• Reprezentacija.net - News portal about Bosnian national football team
• SportSport.ba
• Sportin.ba
• BHFanaticos
• Sport Becka Raja
• Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Association
• UEFA.com (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
• RSSSF archive of results
• RSSSF archive of most capped players and highest goalscorers
• www.bihsoccer.com

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