Bosnia and Herzegovina Ambassador to China talks about World Cup

On June 20, 2014, Mr. Borislav Maric, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to China, talks about the World Cup in an interview with People's Daily Online. (People's Daily Online/Huang Yuqi)

On June 20, 2014, Mr. Borislav Maric, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to China, talked about the World Cup in an interview.

Q: Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for your time. I would like to begin our interview with the match on Monday. Bosnia and Herzegovina lost the match to Argentina 2 to 1. What's your opinion on that game?

A: It was a good game. Though Bosnia and Herzegovina lost it, the performance was good. There were many reasons for the defeat. Firstly, the Argentina football team is strong; secondly, this was the first time that Bosnia and Herzegovina team participated in the World Cup. I believe the next game, with Nigeria, we will give a better performance.

Q: As you said, this was the first time that Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the World Cup. We have all seen the capability of the Bosnia and Herzegovina team. And I wonder, what makes it a strong team?

A: As you know, the former Yugoslavia was very strong in football. Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the six countries that divided from the former Yugoslavia, has a solid foundation in football. Our players have unique skills. Many of them play for top football clubs of other European countries.

Q: How about the common people in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Do they love football?

A: Of course. Football is very popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We can say it is our national sport. Our people also love basketball and other sports, but not as much as football. We love football, just like Chinese people love ping-pong. We are a small country of only 4 million people, but we entered the World Cup.

Q: Since football is the national sport of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Do you like football?

A: Yes. I started to play football as a child. Now I am middle-aged, but I still play with my friends sometimes. I love football. Recently, because of the World Cup, I often stayed up late to watch the game, and my family would remind me to have some rest. I also like to do some analysis on the games. I am every interested in the match between England and Uruguay, and the match right after the opening ceremony, between Brazil and Croatia. Croatia is our neighbor and Brazil is a strong team. Simply speaking, if you were born in a country that people all love football, you would love it too.