Premier status fits Leotar

By Kadira Malkoc

Whether or not the Bosnia-Herzegovnian Premier League was looking for a standard-bearer, it has found one in FK Leotar.

No discouragement
Leotar, champions of the country's Serbian enclave last season, have made a strong start to life in the 20-team competition which unites Bosnia's two ethnic groups. Mile Jovin's side were obviously undeterred by their defeat by FK Zeljeznicar in the national cup tournament last term - and more than any team seem determined to make a success of the joint league which has been brokered by FIFA and UEFA.

Fast-track to the top
The club from the town of Trebinje are one of six new Premier League members and have responded by winning eight of their first 12 games. The fast-tracking of a team which spent 30 years in the old Yugoslavian second division has not surprised football watchers in Bosnia, however.

'We deserve it'
In Andrija Lecic, Leotar have an ambitious president whose goal is to qualify for Europe, ideally by winning the title. "Our position is no coincidence," Lecic said. "We tried to get the club and the players organised before we entered the league. We knew it would be difficult to compete with Zeljeznicar, the reigning champions, and [FK] Sarajevo and [NK] Široki Brijeg, who are both in the UEFA Cup. For the moment, we deserve to be where we are and will try to maintain our position with some good performances."

Jockeying for positions
Key to the smooth introduction have been coach Jovin, a former FK Crvena Zvezda player, and striker Nenad Stojanovic, another old boy of the Belgrade club, who has scored 13 goals so far. The former said: "I did not have to think long when I received the offer from Trebinje. It is a big challenge to fight it out at the top of the table with former Yugoslavian top-flight sides like Zeljeznicar, Sarajevo, [FK] Sloboda [Tuzla], [FK] Borac [Banja Luka] and [FK] Celik.

The big league
"The league is evidently too big, but the compromise had to be made. Somehow this makes this season even more interesting because at the end six clubs will be relegated. Because we are favourites, there will not be an easy game for us with everyone wanting to beat us."

National recognition
Nor has Leotar's progress gone unnoticed by Bosnia-Herzegovnian national coach Blaz Sliškovic, who handed a first call-up to midfield players Branislav Krunic and Sinisa Mulina for the recent EURO 2004™ qualifier against Norway and friendly international against Germany. They were the first players from the Serbian community to play for the country.

Football fever
Not surprisingly, Trebinje now finds itself in the grip of football fever. Leotar are drawing crowds of up to 10,000, and already the club are trying to bring their Police stadium in line with UEFA safety standards ahead of a possible European entrance in 2003/04. By then the local heroes might even have become national ones.