At the Nations League game in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the DFB players will face a lot of “Bundesliga”. But a severe weather disaster casts a dark shadow over the game.
The situation was exemplary: When Ermedin Demirovic from VfB Stuttgart spoke almost warmly to Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann last Sunday, the attacker’s successful penalty goal against the keeper was only a few seconds behind. Both players will meet again on Friday (10/11/24) in the Nations League game – where a similar situation could arise.
The Bosnian international will then meet a total of six Stuttgart teammates and, together with three Bundesliga and three second division professionals from the small Balkan country, will try to achieve Bosnia’s first victory in the Nations League A against the favorites Germany.
| Name | Association | Position |
|---|---|---|
Thoughts with the storm victims
Bosnia-Herzegovina is only ranked 75th in the FIFA world rankings, but it is still a football country with a lot of enthusiasm and passion. But according to statista, it is also the sixth poorest country in Europe with a gross domestic product (GDP) that is less than a third as large as that of Germany (adjusted for purchasing power, 2022 estimate). “Football changes a lot in our country,” said Demirovic before the game, “even if people aren’t feeling well, football is always something they look forward to for months.”
But the anticipation of perhaps “the” football game of the year was suddenly snuffed out by a major storm disaster in the past few days. Several people died in floods and landslides. The situation is most difficult in the mountain village of Jablanica, about 30 kilometers north of the city of Mostar.
There, heavy rain and storms resulted in a lot of heavy rubble burying houses. The country’s civil protection agency warned of further possible landslides in the particularly affected region. That’s why we’re trying to help “with all the resources we have,” said Demirovic. Football can also at least provide emotional support. His family is not affected, but there are many people “who are suffering there,” said the 26-year-old.
A few hours of distraction
So the game on Friday can perhaps be a distraction for a few hours. Because when it comes to football, a lot of things change. “I’ve been preparing the boys all the time that it’s a change of sport, when you come to Bosnia, in the stadium, on the pitch, with the fans it’s something different again,” said Demirovic. But Bosnia is “clearly the underdog” in the game.
See you again with Sergej Barbarez
The coach, who is no less famous than his captain Edin Dzeko, also sees it that way. Sergej Barbarez played 330 games in the Bundesliga, scoring 96 goals, most of them for Hamburger SV. The 53-year-old has held the position of national coach since April – but since then there have been three defeats in a draw against Hungary (0-0) for the small association, which has never taken part in a European Championship and only once in a World Cup. However, the opponents were: England (0:3), Italy (0:1) and Netherlands (2:5).
The former striker has a lot of respect for Germany, against whom the Bosnia and Herzegovina association only played twice in friendly matches after it was re-established in 1992. “I’m very, very enthusiastic about what the German national team is doing again. Rudi Völler and Julian Nagelsmann, together with very different qualities and certainly different perspectives on football, are doing it really well,” says Barbarez, describing his view of the DFB. Eleven.
Barbarez likes the entire appearance of the DFB team
It’s not just the sporting performance under Nagelsmann that impresses the long-time Hamburger SV professional. “The national team impresses with its entire demeanor. It doesn’t matter where the players’ parents come from, it is an example of integration. And that is important in these times, which are not only restless in Germany, but almost everywhere.”
Source: Jo Herold (with dpa/sid)
