Expert: Sarajevo is not a metropolis because there is no stadium under UEFA conditions

The secretary of the NFSBiH points out that lighting is one of the great problems of Sarajevo stadiums before the match with Belgium.

After the World Football Association (FIFA) suspended the Bilino Field Zenica stadium, banning the qualifying match against Belgium in October for the World Cup next year in Russia, it again revealed the modesty of football infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the agency Anadolia reports.

If the appeal of the Football Federation of BiH (NFS BiH) to this sentence, caused by a June incident after the match with Greece (0: 0), the FIFA Appellate Committee does not adopt, the national BH. The team will face a major problem: Where to host Belgium?

How things stand today - nowhere in BiH ...

"The key thing about organizing qualifying national teams since 2014 is that it is the European Football Association (UEFA). UEFA is the one who directly decides and dictates which stadium is satisfactory. The basic thing is the quality of the ground and the brightness of the reflector lighting for quality TV transmission, because the most important part of the whole story is marketing rights, "said Anadolija Nihad Hodzic, secretary of the Executive Board, et. Professional associate for stadiums and safety N / FS BiH.

"When it comes to the possible decision to play against Belgium in Sarajevo, no stadium now meets the lighting requirements. Both Kosevo and Grbavica should raise the level of lighting above 1,400 lux. During this week's visit to Kosevo and Grbavica, he was also an expert for lighting in the professional team of UEFA and FIFA. So, if FIFA does not appeal to us, at one or the other of the mentioned stadiums in two months we will have to do the lighting first of all. For this reason, it was somewhat earlier that this visit was made by people from UEFA and FIFA. In the procedure, complaints and suspension of the stadium in Zenica is not valid, but we are looking for alternative solutions. "

At the bottom of Europe

Hodzic believes that the BH. Stadiums at the bottom of the European table.

"You have to work on everything. Unfortunately, what has been done so far on infrastructure has been done mostly thanks to the N / FS BiH and the constant pressure since 2003 in the licensing process of clubs, where infrastructural criteria have to be met. Much has to be done in our numerous stadiums, from ensuring safety, comfort to fans, meeting the hygienic and technical conditions, ensuring the conditions for the work of journalists, VIP space ... All together, we can not focus on one problem, "he said.

Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has only one more modern stadium which belongs to the third category of UEFA ranking in the licensing process of clubs, above which are the fourth and elite category. This is the Bilino Field in Zenica.

"Bile field is nominally the third category, practically something stronger third category and needs a little for the fourth. The stadium in Banja Luka is on the level that it could be the third category of UEFA, but also, as well as on Kosevo and Grbavica, limiting reflector lighting is there. Pecara in Siroki Brijeg is the third category, Bijeli brijeg in Mostar the other. But UEFA constantly raises the criteria and the question is, when will European matches be able to play, say Pod Bijelim hrivom, "said Anadolia's interlocutor.

Never at Skopje

Asked how much BiH will need to achieve European infrastructure standards with this dynamics and whether it can be expected that the state will build a national stadium on the model of Skopje, where in four days Real Madrid and Manchester United will play UEFA Super Cup, Hodzic replied:

"Since UEFA and Europe are constantly raising the criteria, and the pace we are trying to achieve with the basic elements, I'm afraid we will never reach the European level. Objectively, one should ask what we can especially when you do not have any help from the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, the entity ministries of sports, the cantonal ones. Everything is reduced to the municipality and the city, local communities. "

"I'm not sure when we get to the level to build a stadium. Very often city, local leaders in Sarajevo Canton say the capital of the state is a metropolis. In order to have the right to call the metropolis you have to fill in a set of attributes, and one of such is the appropriate stadium. I strongly believe that Sarajevo can not be called a metropolis if there is no stadium according to the latest standards prescribed by UEFA, "said Hodzic.

• 4 Aug, 2017
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