The president of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Vico Zeljkovic, spoke out regarding the statement from two days ago by BH Fanaticos that they were “denied tickets,” meaning barred from attending the World Cup qualifying match against Romania.
We are publishing his statement in full.
“Regarding the information that has appeared in public about fan tickets for the upcoming match against Romania, I would like to clarify several facts.
The Association has not prohibited anyone from purchasing tickets. The group BH Fanaticos has already bought 868 tickets online for the stand where they traditionally cheer, and it is not true that they were denied access to tickets.
During yesterday and today, the issue concerning the groups’ ‘Ljuti Krajisnici’ and ‘Ljuti Krajisnici 2013’ was also resolved, as they too successfully purchased their tickets.
Interest was exceptionally high – thousands of requests were received, which significantly exceeded the stadium’s capacity and objectively complicated ticket distribution.
A new group, BH Hooligans, also appeared, submitting a request for a certain number of tickets and was given the opportunity to purchase part of the tickets. Whether they coordinate relations with the other groups is their internal matter, and the Association does not interfere.
I want to particularly emphasize that BH Fanaticos, even though they have their views toward the Association or me personally, which they have the right to, have never been prevented from attending matches, including this time.
Unfortunately, their past behavior has caused significant financial damage to the Association – fines totaling around one million BAM have been paid due to incidents at matches. While this does not eliminate their right to criticize the Association or me personally, the facts about the damage and responsibility are clear.
The Association has already set clear conditions and sanctions for inappropriate behavior in the stands. The first major incident or disorder may result in a ban on fans attending upcoming matches, including matches that would be played in front of empty stands.
Unfortunately, inaccurate and one-sided information is appearing in the media, creating unnecessary tensions. Who is behind such spin and for what purpose – I would not comment, but I can say that the Association remains open to dialogue with all fan groups.
Our doors are always open, but dialogue must be based on facts, mutual respect, and responsibility – not on unverified claims and media pressure,” Zeljkovic stated.
