Football in the countries of the former Yugoslavia is seeing a boom in recent years, making up somewhat for the lost generation that never got the chance to play in the European Championships in 1992 after their country was removed from the tournament because of the raging wars in Croatia and Bosnia. The successor states have made excellent progress from humble beginnings, their national teams comprising of players who ply their weekly trade for illustrious European clubs like Manchester United, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. That is not to say that life is easy for the often cash-strapped national football federations who must scrape by on a pittance compared with their counterparts that head the English, Italian and German associations.

Due to the savage nature of the conflict in Bosnia, the country being split down ethnic lines to this very day, creating a viable infrastructure for the sport has been difficult. There is a united Premier League of Bosnia, but the second levels are divided into Bosnian-Croat and Serbian entities, reflecting the politics of the country as a whole. For some time the Bosnian national team has seen a talent drain as players who would be eligible to play for them opt instead to represent other countries. The most prominent example here is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who whilst admittedly born in Sweden comes from a decidedly Bosnian background and is worshiped as an idol in Sarajevo where street vendors sell fake replica football shirts bearing his name. The case of Ibrahimovic can be put in context when compared with Croatia’s latest sensation Ivan Rakitic who despite being born in Switzerland and having represented Switzerland at Under-21 level instead decided to pursue his full international career for the country of his parents. Similarly, Niko Kovac, Robert Kovac, Ivan Klasnic and Josip Simunic were all brought up outside of Croatia but chose to represent the Vatreni. Two players who star for the current Croatian team, Vedran Corluka and Mladen Petric, both star players for well paying European clubs, were born in fact in Bosnia but instead picked their national team for ethnic reasons.

It is therefore refreshing to here that one player with no blood ties to Bosnia has said that he wishes to represent the country’s national team. Nathan Ellington is a player for Watford, a club that regularly bounces back and forth between the two top tiers of English football. He has a reputation as a good striker with plenty of experience. With family ties to England, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic (the latter two having already asked for his services and received refusals), how did Ellington come to be in the reckoning for Bosnia?

Having married a Bosnian woman and converted to Islam, Ellington has declared that he is in love with Bosnia and hopes to help their national team if possible. It would be wrong to say that Nathan Ellington is the next Ronaldo or that his presence will make a significant difference to the country’s footballing fortunes, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. One can not help but fear that Ellington may be on the receiving end of racist abuse if his performances are not up to scratch, but this is only one negative aspect in comparison with all the positives that he offers. Brazilian born Eduardo has been truly adopted by the Croatian public and is quite the folk hero for Maksimir crowds when matches are held in Zagreb, and whilst Ellington does not quite match Eduardo’s footballing talent, he has every chance to make a name for himself in the streets of Sarajevo’s historic Ottoman quarter, possibly replacing Ibrahimovic as the country’s footballing icon.

Ellington wishes to represent Bosnia, Sky Sports

Ellington profile, Watford FC
Football Federation of Bosnia