From ruin to Rio - Bosnia's World Cup story

When most people think of the main street of Sarajevo, they probably picture the bombs and lifeless bodies that characterised the area during the bloody Bosnian war of the 1990s.

However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning last week, it was a starkly different story in what is known as “Titova” Street in the nation’s capital.

At around three in the morning, the image of the formerly perilous street was replaced by tens of thousands of locals, who took to the city’s centre to celebrate and welcome home their national football side from Lithuania after they had recorded a 1-nil victory to secure Bosnia’s first-ever World Cup berth.

Fireworks exploded in the sky as fans jumped and chanted with their footballing heroes. Many people cried.

Some like to say that sports such as football are nothing more than a game, but this event was history making.

No, it was more than that – this was life changing.

Despite the war in Bosnia coming to an end almost 18 years ago, recovery has been slow. Many buildings across the country remain deserted, their ceilings and windows bombed out many years ago. Other dwellings, with occupants inside, still bear the marks of the conflict, their balconies and walls riddled with bullet holes.

Economically, the situation is not much better. The nation’s unemployment rate is estimated to sit at 43 percent – below a mammoth 189 other countries.

Even those with work struggle, with the average monthly salary a mere $580.

This is all without mentioning the politics, with Bosnia so plagued by inefficiency and bickering between its three national presidents and two political entities that the European Union suspended funding to the country last month.

In recent times, however, the national side – more commonly referred to as the ‘Dragons’ – provided the nation with an opportunity to forget about their problems in favour of relishing the successes taking place on the football pitch.

With a team featuring stars present in top leagues right across the world, the Bosnians put years of footballing and social heartache behind them to finally qualify for their first major football tournament since the nation declared independence in 1992.

It is a huge achievement, made all the more special when considering the fact the Dragons were pitted in a qualifying group alongside Slovakia and Euro 2004 champions Greece. Both of those sides were successful in reaching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Finishing with seven wins, one draw and a loss, the Bosnians equalled Greece on 22 points at the end of the qualifying round, with their vastly superior goal difference ensured their passage to Rio.

There were few hiccups along the way; Bosnia’s uncharacteristic loss at home to Slovakia in the first week of September caused a scare for all of its fans.

Concerns began to grow that the Dragons may be destined for footballing despair once again, after falling at the final hurdle in previous qualifiers in years gone by.

But in true battler style the Bosnians turned around their fortunes four days later against the same opposition on foreign territory, coming from a goal down to claim an inspiring 2-1 victory.

In hindsight, there was no looking back from then on.

Now the side is safely into Brazil next year, they certainly will not be there to make up the numbers.

Despite being ranked 16th in the latest FIFA world rankings, the performances of the Dragons tend to be overlooked in favour of that of the more-established European powerhouses.

In March this year, as part of my first-ever piece for The Roar, I wrote an article on Bosnia’s realistic chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

Within days the post had featured prominently on major sporting sites across Bosnia, with news portals declaring that the foreign media were finally sitting up and taking notice of their side’s efforts.

Although I thought my minor blog piece was undeserving of such grand proclamations, it did surprise me that Bosnians felt they were not getting the attention their results deserved. This was amplified when considering that the Dragons side was littered with established superstars, including Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko and AS Roma’s Miralem Pjanic.

This lack of recognition is unlikely to last much longer, however. Aside from the obvious fact Bosnia will finally be on the world stage next year, there have also been planned investments into the nation’s football from Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan.

The Malaysian billionaire was quoted in Dnevni Avaz last month as declaring his intention to “build a football academy that will attract the most talented players from all Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

If all goes to plan, Bosnia’s future stars should have a far smoother transition to professional football than much of its current crop, with the likes of Dzeko reminiscent of a time as youngsters when they were forced to kick a ball among the ruins of the country’s destroyed buildings.

Indeed, these changes across society should not be underestimated.

In the past, I have been somewhat critical of the Western media’s continued focus on Bosnia’s awful past when reporting on the country. Arguably, I have fallen into the same trap in this very piece.

Yet at a time where such history is being made, it is worth remembering the obstacles that have been overcome to reach this point.

Hopefully, in the future, the focus on Bosnia will begin to revolve around its footballing prowess rather than its bloody and tragic past.

One thing that is certain: this football is more than ‘just’ a game.