I’m only interested in our national team passing the group stage and going as far as possible in this world championship, and they all saw how much we believe in them and how united Bosnia and Herzegovina is in terms of supporting the national team, said Vlatko Glavaš, the former captain of the BiH national football team, in an interview for Fena.
He says that he was charmed by the farewell in Koševo, then the welcome in St. Louis (USA) and Toronto (Canada), and he believes that the BiH selection, after a draw in the 1st round against Canada (1:1), is well on its way to passing the group. Perhaps, already at this World Cup, he will make a new step forward and pass the knockout stage.
“I’m sorry that we didn’t beat Canada, but a draw is also good. If Memić and Demirović had scored, it could have ended with the desired victory, but it could have ended differently, because the Canadians also had good chances. I think that it will be easier for us to play against Switzerland now, than against the athletically and physically powerful Canada. Switzerland is the favorite of our group, but it’s not the same selection as, say, four years ago. I believe that we can get a favorable result, and, then, in the “final” to defeat Qatar and pass on. Five points are enough to pass,” says Glavaš.
After the first round, all four selections in our group have one point each, which suggests a big fight for passage.
“Great euphoria has been created around our national team, which is sometimes good and sometimes not, but I hope that the euphoria around our “Dragons” will last as long as possible. My wish is for that to happen and for us to move on. It’s a great success that we came to the World Cup in the first place,” believes Glavaš.
You can see, underline, the handwriting of coach Sergej Barbarez, his professional staff, but it is also the success of the players led by captain Edin Džeko and the entire Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“It’s always nice to be Bosnian or Herzegovinian, but especially after the play-off final match against Italy, when we qualified. They all saw how much we believe in them and how united Bosnia and Herzegovina is in terms of supporting the national team. I believe that we are on the right path, on which, for example, Croatia was in 1998. I don’t know if we will be able to achieve such success at this championship, but in the coming years and competitions, I am convinced that we will,” says Glavaš, who emphasizes the youth and talent of our team.
“Guys like Esmir Bajraktarević, Kerim Alajbegović, Tarik Muharemović… have shown that, despite being young, they are not afraid of anything or anyone, and the experience of one Džeko, Sead Kolašinac, Nikola Katić, Ermedin Demirović, Nikola Vasilj… gives stability to our team, which has a great future. I hope that Džeko and Haris Tabaković, who are injured, will be on the field when they need to be,” says Glavaš.
As for the favorites, he adds, you should always look for them in the circle of selections like Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Germany, France…
“We should not forget Croatia, which has quality and experience. Morocco showed quality, as did Senegal last night against France. They have a lot of good players. Maybe someone could surprise,” believes Glavaš, who is not a fan of this kind of competition, or the World Cup with 48 selections.
“The quality of the matches is lost, but FIFA’s decisions should also be respected. There was even mention of a championship with 64 teams in the future! Well, then, we don’t even need to play the qualifiers. In my opinion, the World Cup with 32 selections is optimal,” Glavaš believes.
