The head coach says about the importance of hosting a big competition for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“The organization of the European Championship is good for us for several reasons. First of all, our country rarely has the opportunity to organize big competitions, world and European. Then, we justified the trust of UEFA, and after organizing numerous qualifying and development tournaments for younger ages, we have now got the opportunity to host the EURO final. And what lies ahead is especially important for girls from a sports point of view. We have the opportunity to raise awareness about women’s football, and for the entire country to unite around sports.”
Lucić also referred to the games of the BH women’s cadet national team in the past period:
“Three years ago, when we received the information that we would host the European Championship, we already started preparing the team for that. In the beginning, we asked to play with stronger opponents who had experience of playing in big competitions, because they are waiting for us in the finals. Due to the coronavirus, we faced many problems, because it dictated the composition of the teams, and we had to cancel some matches. In that regard, the results may not have been the best, but we got a lot of information we asked for and we did the best we could to prepare the players for what awaits us in May this year.”
The head coach added:
“The BH FF has also done a lot to provide us with good conditions to better prepare for the EURO. However, we could not influence some things, but we tried to get the best out of everything. In this regard, we are sorry that we did not play more matches due to the cancellation. It is a great honour for us to be in the company of the best European national teams at this age. We are playing at home and we will try to use it in the best way. We will do our best and I believe we will not let the audience down.”
Ilija Lucić believes that the WU-17 EURO will bring many benefits to Bosnia and Herzegovina:
“Another good thing that the European Championship will bring is that we will have the opportunity to increase the interest of girls in football and to show all the positive aspects that playing sports brings with it. In addition, we can further affirm the cities hosting the championship and send a beautiful picture of our country to the world.”
Finally, the head coach has a message for the fans:
“I use this opportunity to invite the fans to help us and be our “12th player”. Fan support is always important, and in big competitions it can be the key to success. It is certain that the support from the stands will be a wind in our back to show the best possible games.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina will have the national teams of Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands at the EURO for its opponents in Group A.
