The High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, takes the opportunity to congratulate all those who have contributed to yesterday’s successful unification of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The High Representative thanks UEFA and FIFA for their consistent efforts over the last five years to re-unite the football community of Bosnia and Herzegovina and urges both organisations to continue their support to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Office of the High Representative has with satisfaction supported these efforts and looks forward to continuing its co-operation with both organisations.
The entry of the Football Federation of Republika Srpska and the Football Federation of the BiH Federation into the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina opens a new chapter in the history of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which should see a rise in standards and in time the affirmation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the European stage of football.
The newly established league of twenty teams from throughout the country will finally allow the best to compete against the best. This is clearly what football supporters in Bosnia and Herzegovina want to watch.
The reintegration of football in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents a major contribution to the joint bid of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia for the 2008 European Football Championship. The High Representative wishes Bosnia and Herzegovina every success with its bid.