Bosnia and Herzegovina Under-17 national football team held a press conference today at the FFBIH training center in Zenica, ahead of the European Championship which will be held next month. Coach Sakib Malkocevic and team members Rijad Sadiku, Stefan Santrac and Domagoj Marusic spoke to media representatives.

Malkocevic: "Preparations are going well and we have excellent conditions in training camp. We'll be preparing here until the 1st of May when we depart for Opatija; there we'll have two more training sessions. It was a difficult path to the European Championship, but those demanding qualifiers in Moldova and Bijeljina are behind us. The boys earned their spot in the major football competition and they must be congratulated on that. Now they go to Croatia to enjoy their success, but they also have an obligation to this country to represent themselves in the best light. The fans are always welcome. If they come that will be an additional motive for us."

Sadiku: "We're preparing well for the Euro, we know where we're going and why. We all feel the joy of representing our country at the major sports competition. This team respects all opponents, but we'll do our best to achieve a good result. This will be a great experience for us because we're in for pretty tough games in Croatia."

Santrac: "Playing against the favorites in the group while still fresh can be an advantage. Good result in this match would certainly boost our morale for the rest of the competition. I'm familiar with Serbia's team because I play in their league, and we also played against them during preparations for the Elite Round. I believe we can make a good result. Ireland is also a good team, they play fast and tough, but we handled stronger teams than them in the past."

Marusic: "We don't go there for fun but to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina in the best way. We all had the same dream that we achieved. Germany is the favorite in the group, and while Serbia and Ireland are also good teams, I think that we can at least finish second and qualify for the quarter-finals. We'll do all in our power to achieve that."