The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, which gathered in Ilidža on Saturday to prepare for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will train again this afternoon in Butmir. In their second address to the media, Ermin Mahmić and Kerim Alajbegović appeared before the press today, speaking about the atmosphere in the team, their work so far and the first friendly match as part of these preparations, in which they will host North Macedonia on Friday evening at the “Asim Ferhatović Hase” stadium in Sarajevo.
“This is also an important match for us. To get a good feeling and to slowly prepare for the World Cup. I think it is a good opportunity to show what we can do and to have a good feeling,” said Alajbegović.
Regarding the media pressure he is exposed to, due to his good performances so far, he said that it is a good feeling when the people love a player.
“But I don’t really think much about it. I just want to play balls on the field,” said Alajbegović, who underlined that it is nice to be in the national team again and that they have good chemistry in the team.
There are a lot of smiles and support. He admitted that he did not watch much about the players of the selections with which he will play at the WC, which are Switzerland, Canada and Qatar.
“I know the best players from the teams, but if I were to look at Transfermarkt or something, it’s bad. I am focused only on us,” said Alajbegović, who added that it is logical that they will win on Friday as well. He is convinced that the BiH team will have a good performance at the World Cup.
“The first games are always the most important. We need to get there, play as well as possible and I am convinced that we can get through the group. We have to be as good as possible and get ready for the upcoming matches,” said Alajbegović.
The new representative of our country, Ermin Mahmić, a member of the Czech Slovan from Liberec, underlined that he believes that he can contribute to the national team in the offensive and creative areas, as well as depth.
Previously, he only knew two or three players, but now he is slowly getting to know them all and, he pointed out, is still trying to relax and gain experience.
“This is something completely new for me, with such players on the field. I’m trying to collect that experience, to relax, to get a normal rhythm and to achieve our goals together. For me, it is something huge that I will play for my national team and be a member of this team,” said Mahmić, who added that he should only watch from training to training and do his best with a smile on his face.
He knows that it was not easy and that the process of changing his sports citizenship took several months, but he is satisfied that it ended on time and that he will travel to the World Cup.
“Ever since I heard that I was going to the World Cup with them, it was, simply… It showed that hard work pays off and that we need to work harder, improve more, push the gas and that everything will fall into place. There was never a dilemma, I always knew which country I wanted to play for. That was Bosnia and I never changed my mind about it,” added Mahmić.
