ST. LOUIS (AP) – Far from its European homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a passionate following in the American Midwest as it prepares for its second edition of the tournament. world cup.
An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 Bosnians live in St. Louis, many of whom arrived in the early 1990s during the Bosnian War and the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia will face Panama in an international friendly on Saturday at Energizer Park in St. Louis, before playing World Cup group stage matches in Toronto (vs. Canada), Los Angeles (vs. Switzerland) and Seattle (vs. Qatar).
“We should be able to create an atmosphere similar to a home game,” said Ervil Kafjić, a Bosnian-born St. Louisan and assistant coach for St. Louis City SC, the city’s MLS team.
He was only 9 years old and 1-2 years old when he fled Bosnia with his mother and siblings to escape the war in 1992.
“Unfortunately, I remember a lot of it,” Kafjic said. His story mirrors many who wandered throughout Europe and then rebuilt in St. Louis.
“We moved through several countries, including Montenegro, the Czech Republic and Sweden, before ending up in Germany,” Kafžić explained.
This situation ended in the late 1990s when Germany stopped granting temporary protection to Bosnians.
“We didn’t have a place to go back to in Bosnia, and we already had some relatives living in St. Louis, so in 1999 we decided to move with my mother and two older brothers.”
Bosnia beat Italy
Bosnia qualified for the World Cup Two months ago, they defeated four-time World Cup champions Italy 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The decisive penalty was scored by Esmir Bajraktarevic, a Bosnian-American from Appleton, Wisconsin.
“That day you could see cars with Bosnian flags on the streets,” Kafjić said of the scene in St. Louis. “Every restaurant, every coffee shop was packed wall to wall, strangers hugging each other. For me, this is about more than football. It shows who we are, our pride, where we come from and how deeply connected we are to our roots.”
Bosnia’s World Cup squad will be led by 40-year-old captain Edin Dzeko and 18-year-old winger Kerim Alaibegovic. Dzeko has played in the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A and Germany’s Bundesliga, scoring at least 50 goals.
Bosnia’s only appearance in the World Cup was in Brazil in 2014, where they were eliminated in the group stage. The team’s first World Cup goal was scored by Vedad Ibisevic in a 2-1 loss to Argentina.
Ibišević played high school soccer in St. Louis, was a star at Saint Louis University, and went on to have a successful professional career, primarily in the Bundesliga.
St. Louis’ “Little Bosnia”
St. Louis has emerged as a destination for Bosnian refugees because of its jobs, affordable housing prices, and small communities.
“Everything was taken away from us at home, so we all came looking for a better life,” Kafjić said. “Words cannot express how grateful we are.”
The area on the city’s south side is known as “Little Bosnia” and is centered around neat rows of red brick houses, bars, cafes, bakeries and a wooden replica of the fountain in the capital Sarajevo, known as Sebili.
“This represents Sarajevo in the heart,” said Jasmina Silic, an activist across the street from the Scala Bar memorial on Gravois Street, a community hub.
memories of war
Skala is located just a few houses away from the Srebrenica Genocide Survivors Association, a constant reminder of the war and ethnic cleansing by Bosnian Serb forces.
Over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim dies in SrebrenicaIt was recognized as a genocide by the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and others. It is estimated that 104,000 people died and 2 million were displaced in the war, with Bosnian Muslims accounting for 83% of civilian deaths.
traces of bosnia
Bosnia’s influence extends throughout St. Louis, a metropolitan area of about 3 million people located on the banks of the Mississippi River.
The best-selling dish at MLS Stadium in St. Louis is Bosnian food from a restaurant called Balkan Treat Box. Saint Louis University is home to the Center for Bosnian Studies and has several books documenting the diaspora, including Bosnia St. Louis: Between Two Worlds by Patrick McCarthy and Akif Kogo.
This work tells a story of tragedy, resilience, and the bonds between Europe and its communities.
“One St. Louis woman still carries the keys to her Bosnian home,” they wrote. “Another man describes his feelings towards Bosnia as not wanting to divorce the woman he still loves.”
Before the war, Bosnia was a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, with Muslims making up the majority, but there were also large numbers of Croat Roman Catholics and Serbian Orthodox Christians.
This mix is what unites the World Cup team and is a symbol of pride and reconciliation.
“Many people from here go to Bosnia every year to see their families,” Silic said at Skala Bar. “This team represents unity because it includes all three religions and everyone is one, just as it was when it was still Yugoslavia.”
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
