BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER; WORLD CUP 2014: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria fans confident ahead of match

Record ID: 236804

  • Title: BRAZIL: FOOTBALL/SOCCER; WORLD CUP 2014: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nigeria fans confident ahead of match
  • Date: 21st June 2014
  • Summary: CUIABA, BRAZIL (JUNE 21, 2014) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BOSNIAN FANS SINGING PRIDE SONG ABOUT HOMELAND
  • Embargoed: 6th July 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Brazil
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA979RP2W6ALSK1CD99P3J1TX7X
  • Story Text: Fans of both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Nigeria were equally confident ahead of their teams' World Cup group match in Cuiaba on Saturday (June 21).
    Just several blocks from the Arena Pantanal stadium, dozens of Bosnians gathered at the Furnas Churrascaria restaurant, where blue and white flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina hung over the handrails.
    Rijad Omanovic, a Bosnian from Prijedor, a north-western town where 1,500 people were killed and thousands more forced to live in concentration camps in 1992 during the Bosnian war, said there was a chance for the team to do something great in the World Cup.
    "That's why I'm here. It's part of the history of my country. We went through a lot of troubles in the last 20 years. Me personally and my family and everybody else," said Omanovic, who now lives in Arizona and travelled to Brazil with his family.
    Bosnia and Herzegovina is coming off a 2-1 loss to Group F leader and predicted winner Argentina. The game was the tiny country's first appearance in the World Cup. With Saturday's game, the team has another chance to earn its first win with a defeat over Nigeria.
    Recent flooding in the Balkans has added to troubles back home. Within a few days at the end of May, the skies dumped several months worth of rain. The death toll climbed to 65.
    Fans like Aldin Ademovic, a Bosnian from Zvornik, another town where 40,000 Bosniaks were expelled by the Serbian paramilitary and 4,000 are still missing from the Bosnia war, said a victory against Nigeria would lift the spirits of the country.
    "I don't know if you know, but we also had some floods, so we had some recent tragedies as well. 100,000 people displaced. This would just give them a little bit of joy in a harsh environment," said Ademovic, who now lives in London. "It's pretty harsh in Bosnia and the living standards are pretty hard. With the war and now the floods, a lot of people could use a little cheer. We need this."
    Nigeria is also hungry for a win. The team is coming off a 0-0 draw against Iran. After a deadly bomb blast at a World Cup viewing site back in Nigeria earlier this week, the country and its team are also facing hardships off the pitch.
    Nevertheless, Nigerians like Amori Ighoyota, a 61-year-old from the Delta state on the coach, believed their team could defeat Bosnia and Herzegovina and even beat Argentina.
    "We are passionate about football. There is a high expectation in Nigeria. We may not win the World Cup. We will not probably go to the semifinal, but we will show to the world that we are making progress, as far as football is concerned," Ighoyota said. "So that expectation in Nigeria of course is going to change the psychic of Nigerians. So I believe that we in the World Cup will do very well of course and will bring more blessings to the people of Nigeria."
    The two countries face off at 1800 local time (2200 GMT) in Cuiaba.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register