Fans celebrated the historic win on the streets of Sarajevo throughout the night. Image courtesy of Bosnia-Herzegovina national team's “Zmajevi” Facebook fan page, used with permission.
Some 12 hours after Bosnia-Herzegovina secured its direct qualification [1] to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Bosnians are still celebrating this historic moment. Social networks are flooded [2] with comments of joy from Bosnians and support from other nations.
Last night and today, October 16, 2013, no one can tell by looking at social networks and regional news sites that Bosnia still has a very troubled political life, or that the EU is threatening the small Balkan country with sanctions. The only topic on people's minds and timelines is that of Bosnia-Herzegovina's 1-0 win over Lithuania in the World Cup qualifiers. Even the official Twitter account of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina [3] dropped all other matters last night to announce [4] the team's win:
Ibisevic fires Bosnia-Herzegovina to @FifaWorldCup [5] in #Brazil2014 [6] http://t.co/Z3PECyYkYf [7] #BiH [8]
— OSCE Mission to BiH (@OSCEBiH) October 15, 2013 [9]
All across Bosnia-Herzegovina, fans are emotional about their countries historical placement in the largest sporting event in the world. Twitter user @samrich_ [10] from Sarajevo says [11]:
Moj tata plače, života mi. #BosnaiHercegovina [12] #Brazil [13] #BiH [8] #Bosnia [14] #Football [15]
— Morning star (@samrich_) October 15, 2013 [16]
My dad is crying, [I swear] on my life. #BosnaiHercegovina [12] #Brazil [13] #BiH [8] #Bosnia [14] #Football [15]
— Morning star (@samrich_) October 15, 2013 [16]
This win came, almost “miraculously” as some on social networks put it, on the Kurban Bayrami religious holiday widely celebrated in Bosnia-Herzegovina, also known throughout the Muslim world as the feast of sacrifice [17]. Some social media users gave the traditional Bayrami holiday greeting used to commemorate the end of Bayram and Hajj [18] “Bayram Sherif Mubarek Olsun” (“May the holy Bayram be blessed”) a World Cup twist, and no one seemed to take offense. On the contrary, tweets like this one [19] from Nikola Bajčetić [20] from Montenegro were greeted with humor and good spirits:
BRAZIL SERIF MUBAREK OLSUN ! :))) Sve čestitke #BiH [8] ! #fudbal [21]
— Nikola Bajcetic (@Nikola_MNE) October 15, 2013 [22]
BRAZIL SHERIF MUBAREK OLSUN ! :))) Many congratulations #BiH [8] ! #fudbal [21]
— Nikola Bajcetic (@Nikola_MNE) October 15, 2013 [22]
The match seems to have brought the entire troubled region together, as Serbian, Croatian and Montenegrin fans congratulated Bosnia-Herzegovina and celebrated the win with them online. After last night's 2-0 loss to Scotland, Croatia still has a slim chance [23] of qualifying in the playoffs. Serbia, however, lost any chance of making it through to the World Cup several months ago after possibly one of the worst qualifying campaigns in its sporting history. But Serbia beat Macedonia 5-1 [24] on October 15, 2013, thus sinking any dreams Macedonians may have had of reaching Brazil next summer. Fans from all three countries, amid their own losses, joined in celebrating Bosnia-Herzegovina's unique win. Nikola Radović [25] from Montenegro joined in by saying [26]:
Dok gubim glas na stadionu Pod Goricom za #CrnaGora [27], javljaju mi da je #BiH [8] otisla u Brazil. Navijacu za njih. Bravo Bosno!
— Nikola Radovic (@NowitzkiCt) October 15, 2013 [28]
While I'm losing my voice at Podgorica stadium for #CrnaGora [27] [#Montenegro], I'm getting word that #BiH [8] is off to Brazil. I'll root for them. Bravo Bosnia!
— Nikola Radovic (@NowitzkiCt) October 15, 2013 [28]
Bosnia-Herzegovina's national football team now faces the likes of England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and other top teams in Brazil next year and has an unlikely chance of getting very far in the competition. However, many say that further results for Bosnia at the World Cup are now irrelevant, as this is the country's first time to qualify as an independent nation, a historic moment worth more than any title. The video below shows what Sarajevo looked like throughout the night as people took to the streets to celebrate: