It could always be worse.
The form of Bosnia’s Roman duo Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic in last week’s Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen just served to remind Republic of Ireland fans that none of Martin O’Neill’s squad are playing at the highest level of European football.
While far from star-studded, Mehmed Bazdarevic’s squad does feature the likes of Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, Lazio’s Senad Lulic and the AS Roma pair.
But browsing a few Bosnian websites today (as you do) it dawned on us that things could be worse, Much, much worse.
Yep, it seems there is still lots of love for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the land of his father.
Ibrahimovic senior’s marriage to his son’s Croatian mother lasted just long enough to secure him a Swedish resident’s permit but, growing up in the disadvantaged Malmo suburb of Rosengard, the young Zlatan – a prolific bike thief – seemingly had as close a connection to the disintegrating Yugoslavia as he did his homeland.
As he writes in his autobiography, Ibrahimovic’s tough mother and alcoholic father did not encourage integration: “‘Do you need help with your homework?’, or ‘Can I explain anything in Swedish history to you?’ None of that. Beer tins, Yugo music, empty fridges and the Balkan war, that’s what we had at home.”
Now the country’s biggest sports star and their greatest hope of beating neighbours Denmark in their own Euro 2016 play-off, Ibrahimovic had little connection to Sweden before signing for Ajax and emigrating.
“We lived in a very different world from the Swedes. I was 20 when I saw my first Swedish film, and I had no idea who the Swedish heroes and sports stars were.”
He is now the all-Swedish hero who scores bicycles instead of stealing them.
https://twitter.com/FootyFIashbacks/status/662715577065013249
Surely, were such a disenfranchised descendant of Irish emigrants growing up abroad now the FAI would be all over them like a rash.
In fairness, only recognised by FIFA since 1995, the Bosnian FA have not had as long to familiarise themselves with the Granny Rule as Ireland’s football administrators.
Dzeko and Pjanic are enough to worry about, let’s be thankful that the Paris St Germain striker is lining up in Stockholm on Saturday, not Zenica on Friday.
That said, if Ibrahimovic was Bosnian it is very unlikely they would have to worry about a play-off.
