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Friends reunited Bosnian-Croatian bid hoping to heal Balkan divisionsPosted: Tuesday December 03, 2002 7:21 AMSARAJEVO (Reuters) -- Soccer took root in Croatia and Bosnia over a century ago and remains the number one sport in both countries. But for most of the 20th century, there was little seperate identity for Croatians and Bosnians as such as they all played for and were part of the greater Yugoslavia soccer set-up. However, much has changed over the last decade and they have now re-established their own soccer identities. The sport was introduced into Croatia in the second half of the 19th century, mostly through English workers and engineers working there, and the first clubs were formed in the early 1900s. It came to Bosnia at the beginning of the 20th century in the southern town of Mostar in 1908. Several matches were organized that year and by the start of World War One most towns had their own soccer clubs. Before and after World War Two Bosnia and Croatia were part of former Yugoslavia and their clubs played main roles alongside the Serbian ones in its federal league and also provided many outstanding players for the national team. Among Croats, Drazen Jerkovic was one of the top scorers at the European Championship in France in 1960 and at the World Cup in Chile in 1962 while Josip Skoblar won the Golden Boot with Marseille in 1971. Zeljeznicar Sarajevo's Ivica Osim was outstanding as a player but will be best remembered for leading Yugoslavia as a coach to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy. After gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the two countries formed their own soccer federations. The Bosnian one however had to wait until after the end of its 1992-5 war to be admitted into FIFA and UEFA. The Croatian national team finished third in the 1998 World Cup -- its first finals. Davor Suker was the tournament's top scorer with six goals. At club level, the biggest success by a Croatian team was Dinamo Zagreb's victory in the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup, in 1967. Bosnia's national team, in which Muslim players dominated but Croats and Serbs have appeared more recently, has failed to make a European championship or World Cup. Zeljeznicar Sarajevo's feat of reaching the 1984 UEFA Cup semifinals, with Osim at the helm, before losing to Hungary's Videoton ranks as the best result in European club competitions. Bosnia, Croatia hope UEFA will opt to boost BalkansSARAJEVO (Reuters) -- Bosnia and Croatia are hoping UEFA will think of the symbolic and economic benefits for the long-troubled Balkans if it chooses their joint bid to host the 2008 European soccer championship next week. Soccer officials from the two countries that emerged from the former Yugoslavia during its violent break-up in the 1990s also say that UEFA's acceptance of their bid shows their recent war-plagued history is now being consigned to history and will not be a continual blight on their aspirations. They admit other bidders are in a better economic position to stage the showcase competition but stress UEFA has often given a chance to less developed countries. "UEFA's policy was always to promote development and we are sure it will stick to that now," said Mehmed Spaho, an official of Bosnia's Football Association (NSBIH). Officials cite the case of Portugal, which they say was far less equipped than neighboring Spain when it bid for Euro 2004 but UEFA nevertheless entrusted it with hosting the tournament. "It would be a great opportunity to lure foreign investors and the authorities would do all they can to ease the conditions for them and make this place attractive," said Dragan Mikerevic, the chairman of Bosnia's central government. Friends reunited Both countries fought against rebellions by their own Serb ethnic groups after breaking away from the old Yugoslavia in the early 1990s. They were at odds themselves during a short war between Bosnia's Muslim-led government and the country's Croats, but now have been reunited and are at peace. The wars were over by the middle of the previous decade but relations remained strained until reformists in both countries took over from nationalists a few years ago. Croatia's reformists have brought the country closer to membership of the European Union and NATO despite economic woes. Bosnia was split into autonomous Serb and Muslim-Croat halves after its 1992-5 war. It has been bankrolled and supervised by the international community, including thousands of NATO troops, trying to help it become self-sustainable. The Bosnian Serbs' soccer body only joined the national football association this summer. Despite several incidents of ethnically based violence at stadiums, officials say local authorities are fully capable of providing security. Ivan Brlekovic, an official of the Croatian Football Association, said UEFA had already given one vote of confidence. "They decided to accept the joint bid as a sign that the neighbors are at peace and ready and willing to work together," he said. When it comes to financing for the ambitious project, the bidders are reluctant to say much until they know if they have been chosen but insist they would have no problem with funds. Rooms with a view Croatia, a Mediterranean country with a spectacular Adriatic coast, suffered much less from war than Bosnia. It is a tourist destination with an abundance of hotels to make up for possible shortages in Bosnia and good airports and rail and road links. Stadiums in the capital Zagreb, the eastern town of Osijek and the Adriatic ports of Rijeka and Split would host the games. Brlekovic said some 50 million euros were needed for their renovation and local authorities have promised to provide the funds. Highways linking the two ports with the capital should be built by 2006 regardless of Euro 2008 and Osijek is to be linked with a main regional Zagreb-Belgrade motorway. Rijeka's airport is the only one of four that needs upgrading. In Bosnia, all four stadiums would have to be drastically overhauled. The Kosevo Olympic stadium in Sarajevo is in the best shape, having been renovated after the war to meet international standards. Stadiums in the southern town of Mostar, the central town of Zenica and the Serb Republic's main city of Banja Luka in the west would need to be rebuilt almost from scratch. "Local authorities have promised the funds for the stadiums but we also count on private investors to build additional facilities like hotels and shopping malls and so on around them," said Munib Usanovic, secretary-general of Bosnia's FA. Building new roads would not be feasible but worn-out surfaces could be repaired, he added. The railway network was heavily damaged during the war but the country has secured some 90 million euros in international credits for reconstruction. "All three airports have been renovated after the war, so we think that we'd manage to deal with the transportation issue without problems," Usanovic said. Zenica would be served by the Sarajevo airport, about 70 kms (40 miles) away. "The conditions are different but we managed to organize the (1984) Winter Olympics in Sarajevo really well and I see no reason why we shouldn't do that again," he said. Factbox: VENUES: The following eight venues are planned:
COST: No official buget figure or estimated cost has been officially provided. Croatia, which relies on tourist revenue, and Bosnia, whose recovery after the 1992-5 war has been bankrolled by the West, both hope that staging Euro 2008 would attract badly-needed foreign investment which would help build or reconstruct infrastructure and venues. FOOTBALL SET-UP: The Croatian Football Federation was founded in 1912, and became a member of FIFA in 1941 before being incorporated into the former Yugoslavia's soccer structure. The FA was readmitted to FIFA in July of 1992, after the country broke away from Yugoslavia. It became a temporary member of UEFA in July of 1992, and a full member a year later. The first division has 12 teams, with top and bottom six playing off at the end of the season for the title and relegation respectively. Top clubs are Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, Osijek and Rijeka. The Football Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina was founded in 1908 and was incorporated into the Yugoslav one after World War Two. It applied for membership in FIFA and UEFA in May of 1992, but due to war it was accepted for full membership of FIFA only in 1996 and joined UEFA in 1998. A self-styled Bosnian Croat FA joined the national FA in 1998 while the Bosnian Serb one did so only this year, paving the way for the launch of a state-wide 20-team strong league. Top teams are Zeljeznicar Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Leotar Trebinje and Siroki Brijeg. FOOTBALL HONORS: Croatia finished third in 1998 World Cup in France. CLUBS: There are 1,315 registered clubs in Croatia with 93,848 registered players, 357 of them professionals. Bosnia has 720 registered clubs and 958. There are 60,721 registered players, 550 of them professionals. PREVIOUS HISTORY: The Bosnian capital of Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics when it was still a part of Yugoslavia. Croatia hosted the European Athletics Championship in Split in 1990 and the European Handball Championship in 2000. The two capitals, Zagreb and Sarajevo, jointly hosted the World Basketball Championship in 1970. POLITICAL SITUATION: Croatia is ruled by a reformist coalition which brought country closer to membership of the European Union and NATO following the rule of nationalists in 1990s. Bosnia was split into a Serb Republic and a Muslim-Croat federation, after its 1992-95 war. The international community, including a NATO-led peace force, has since bankrolled and supervised the country which sees membership of NATO and the European Union as long-term goals. Croatia and a Muslim-led government in Sarajevo were nominal allies against the Serbs backed by Belgrade during the war but ties deteriorated because of Zagreb's wartime support of Bosnian Croat separatists. Relations have normalized in recent years.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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