Miroslav Blazevic is hoping to lead Bosnia to their first ever tournament

In a fashion not too dissimilar to David Pleat’s canter across the Maine Road pitch after Luton’s survival in 1983, Bosnian coach Miroslav Blazevic set off on an impromptu lap of honour around the pitch at Zenica’s Bilino Polje stadium on Wednesday evening. His efforts were halted halfway by his diminishing stamina, but who can blame him – he is 74.

The motive behind this indulgence of adulation can be attributed to two key factors: the habitually eccentric nature of his character, and the unequivocal popularity that he shares with the people of Bosnia.

His appointment last July met a mixed reaction – particularly as he had been the man who led neighbours Croatia to 3rd in World Cup 1998 – and was a result of the sacking of the popular Meho Kodro, after he had refused to pick a team to participate in a pointless, but lucrative, friendly against Iran. The fans lashed out, attacking the football association’s head offices, citing ingrained corruption and blaming them for the underachievement of the national team.

“I know what I am getting into. I will have to unite and calm everybody down,”

Blazevic said on his appointment.

“I will do my best to justify the confidence I was trusted and I am aware that it will not be an easy task.”

An easy task it may not have been, but Blazevic has certainly made it looks so. They started their campaign with a narrow 1-0 defeat at the hands of European Champions Spain, before emphatic, albeit expected, victories over Estonia (7-0) and Armenia (4-1). Then, last weekend, Blazevic took his charges to Genk to meet another emergent force in the European game, Belgium. An incredible 4-2 victory in Flanders was then followed up by a 2-1 win on home soil in Zenica on Wednesday, and Bosnia now find themselves second to only Spain in Group 5, with just four qualifying games remaining.

“We are looking good for a play-off berth after demonstrating our class in this historic double win over Belgium,”

said a hyperactive, and slightly breathless Blazevic after Wednesday’s win.

“Few teams can beat Belgium twice in (the space of) four days and that shows the team chemistry is fantastic.”

But this is not just a story of improving results. Bosnia took the brunt of a bloody conflict in the 1990s which stemmed from disagreements between different ethnicities and, despite peace eventually prevailing, delicate relations remain between Muslims, Croats and Serbs in the region.

Blazevic’s squad has representatives from all three ethnics groups, and the coach himself is a Bosnian Croat. “I was proud more than ever to hear the fans cheer in one voice Serb goalkeeper Nemanja Supic and myself,” he said after Wednesday’s game, emphasising the collectiveness of the team’s journey.

In an environment where ethnic factions can easily be formed, the coach has created a magnetic bond between the members of his squad. Each of the players he substituted on Wednesday were given an enthusiastic hug by the coach on their withdrawal, and the entire squad appear to have united in their focus to get Bosnia to their first ever international tournament.
Indeed, following his omission from Saturday’s starting line-up in preference to the less favoured Samir Muratovic, Lyon prodigy Miralem Pjanic stated that

“If you asked 100 coaches in Europe they’d all pick me. But I’ll happily sit on the bench or even in the stands because I love being around these guys.”

Whilst there are many who argue that football and politics cannot mix, in some contexts it is simply unavoidable. However, in their national team, Bosnians now have a perfect illustration of how sport can transcend ethnic differences, and unite a country in common cause. Let’s just hope that, unlike Blazevic, Bosnia do not run out of steam.