“Bosnia? The war? Oh wait, I know it – Džeko and Begović!” The Role of Sports Diplomacy in Reimaging the Western Balkans – The Case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina
“Bosnia? The war? Oh wait, I know it – Džeko and Begović!” The Role of Sports Diplomacy in Reimaging the Western Balkans – The Case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Summary/Abstract: The negative role of football in the rise of nationalisms in former Yugoslavia has been well documented. On the other hand, some recent sports successes have been re-imaging the Western Balkans states internationally and therefore improving their sports diplomacy. The paper presents a case-study of Bosnia and Herzgovina (BiH), which made its debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2014. The findings are drawn from ethnographic fieldwork and media analysis. While the ethnographic findings suggest that the 2014 FIFA World Cup failed to unite the ethnically divided society of BiH, the international media kept presenting divided BiH as finally united behind their World Cup heroes. Ethnographic interviews revealed that the Bosnians did not believe in the reconciliatory power of the World Cup, yet they were very supportive of (unrealistic) stories finally presenting BiH in a positive way. The paper concludes that although the Bosnian football team and international media reporting have set the milestone for Bosnian sports diplomacy, the state should systematically develop its sports diplomacy, following both domestic and foreign policy goals.

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