On Friday (10) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Football Federation's sudden announcement of their decision to challenge the Russian team, which is currently under international sanctions, to a friendly match was a bombshell. However, the decision was not received positively by the players and fans of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but rather provoked widespread opposition, with captain Bizanli being the most adamant.
It has been reported that the BiH FA approved the friendly match with Russia by 5 votes in favor and 1 against after some voting. But as soon as the news broke, it immediately triggered a raging wave of protests. BiH fans have called for a boycott of the tournament, and some radical fans have even called for the dissolution of the Football Federation.
In the midst of this fiasco, Bizenli became the first player to speak out publicly. He has just left Barcelona and moved to Sharjah in the UAE. On the incident, he said, "They called me to ask my opinion on the game, I made my position clear and then they made a different decision."
Bizenius further emphasized, "I have nothing to say. Whenever the national team picks up, there are always problems like this. The FA knows my point of view and I will not be attending this game."
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian team has been sanctioned by FIFA and UEFA, and has been banned from even the World Cup qualifiers. However, the decision by the Bosnia and Herzegovina FA to play a friendly match against the Russian team has baffled many.
