Sweden-Bosnia Match Puts Fans With Ties to Both Countries in a Dilemma
Photo: Lindsey Wasson/AP/TT

Sweden-Bosnia Match Puts Fans With Ties to Both Countries in a Dilemma

Football has united Bosnians around the world since the bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s. When Bosnia-Herzegovina comes to Strawberry Arena this weekend, 40,000 people are expected to support the visitors - and Sweden. “You can feel such love for two countries,” says influencer Taib Sisic.

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In May 2010, Sweden defeated Bosnia-Herzegovina 4–2 at home in Råsunda. At the time, an estimated half of the 22,589 people in the stands were Bosnian fans.

On Saturday, things will be different.

Just over 52,000 tickets have been sold for the Nations League match at the national stadium in Solna, and there is talk that up to 40,000 people will be there to support the Bosnian national team.

But also the Swedish team.

It will be a very special atmosphere. I die for Sweden, I die for Bosnia. I think many people have difficulty understanding that you can feel such love for two countries, says Taib Sisic.

Strong community

The 28-year-old is a football referee and influencer with several hundred thousand followers. Like around 75,000 other Swedes, he has origins in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

And like many of them, Saturday's match is special to him.

We second-generation immigrants have seen what our parents have done for us. What they have had to leave behind for us to have a secure future. It is difficult for many Swedish-Bosnians to know which team to root for. Both countries mean a lot to us, he says.

Taib Sisic says Bosnians united around the national football team when the country was torn apart in the bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s.

It was a war between religions. Football was the only way to leave it behind. All religions in Bosnia were able to unite around football, and it has built a strong community around the national team. That community still exists today.

The Bosnian squad includes three players - Zinedin Smajlovic, Benjamin Tahirovic and Armin Gigovic - who were born and raised in Sweden.

We Bosnians want to give back to our homeland; we know what our parents have sacrificed. So for the Swedes, it has been obvious to play for Bosnia to give back, says Taib Sisic.

“Incredible atmosphere”

There is no doubt that Saturday will see a rarely seen atmosphere. National team captain Graham Potter is ready for something very special.

I have heard that there will be a lot of away fans. We will have to deal with that. It will be an incredible atmosphere, very fun, he says.

Taib Sisic also believes that the atmosphere in the stands will be world-class, regardless of how the match ends.

For his part, he hopes for a draw.

That would be the best thing for me. I get asked all the time who I am rooting for... I have a lot of love for both countries.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
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