FULL TIME Vancouver Soccer Show - Question Begovic

[Cassano10]

It's obvious something has happened the last days, and Begovic has showed how two-faced he is. He hasn't responded to the Bosnian Federation the last few days, but he signed a paper saying he wants to play for Bosnia and this has been sent to FIFA. He might have screwed himself over big-time, cause if this is true, he can never play for Canada and Bosnians will never accept him now. He is actually very hated right now.

[strobe_z]

Well if it's on the internet, it must be true...

Mysterious papers and back-room meetings aside, I heard what I heard on the radio. True, it doesn't mean he wasn't lying, but at least the message came straight from the guy making the decision.

My cousin went to high-school with Asmir here in Edmonton, and she's told me he's as Canadian as anyone else. I highly doubt he's up to something. You never want to give an iron-clad guarantee in an interview, so it doesn't surprise me that he left himself an "out". However, if he was really still torn between the two I would guess he'd be a little more evasive. Probably take a page from Jono's book "I just want to concentrate on my club football right now".

[Lord Bob]

quote:Originally posted by Cassano10

It's obvious something has happened the last days, and Begovic has showed how two-faced he is. He hasn't responded to the Bosnian Federation the last few days, but he signed a paper saying he wants to play for Bosnia and this has been sent to FIFA. He might have screwed himself over big-time, cause if this is true, he can never play for Canada and Bosnians will never accept him now. He is actually very hated right now.

What papers? Noone has answered this question. You do not at all affect your eligibility by signing papers. You are captied by playing a national team match in a FIFA-recognized competition, not by faxing "plz let me be bosnian - a. begovic" in blue crayon to Sepp Blatter's secretary.

[finchster]

I can't believe anything from Bosina, there hasn't been any interviews from Begovic in that country all second hand information from other people.

[loyola]

Well, when the rule was that you could make the switch before your 21st birthday I remember reading that Marcel DeJong had to send some papers to FIFA before he could play for Holland if he decided to go that way.

I guess with the change of rule maybe FIFA has a policy about players who have already represented one country needing some sort of clearance in order to suit for another national team. Maybe FIFA want to have the responsability to verify if player X has never played in an ofifcial competition for country A before making eligible to play for country B?

I think we would need to check how this rule is written to clear that up.

[Cassano10]

quote:Originally posted by Lord Bob

What papers? Noone has answered this question. You do not at all affect your eligibility by signing papers. You are captied by playing a national team match in a FIFA-recognized competition, not by faxing "plz let me be bosnian - a. begovic" in blue crayon to Sepp Blatter's secretary.

Well, if you knew anything about this rule, you would know that every player has to send a letter to FIFA stating that he wants to change the country he plays for with his signature. This has been already sent according to the Bosnian Federation.

[redhat]

quote:Originally posted by Cassano10

This has been already sent according to the Bosnian Federation.

Could be true, but not really until Asmir actually suits up for Bosnia

in an official match.

Cassano, do YOU want him to play for Bosnia? Just curious.

[Footscray]

The only source that has a direct quote from the guy is the radio show where he says he is not considering playing for Bosnia. You can't ask for more than the guys word here. If he still switches so be it but for now the muck raking going on in the Bosnian media looks pretty poor on them and their federation IMO. Act like a professional organization and keep it quiet until the guy is willing to actually go there and confirm the statement.

[snake]

lets also take it for what it is,a bosnian soccer fans message board.these aren't quotes from the sarajevo gazette or the times but a message board.

[Cassano10]

quote:Originally posted by snake

lets also take it for what it is,a bosnian soccer fans message board.these aren't quotes from the sarajevo gazette or the times but a message board.

Nope, it's from a paper (Oslobodjenje) and a site called sportsport. Regarding the papers the football federation-guy was on tv last night and said they had sent them....

@redhat: As a Bosnian, I really don't want to see him play for us. He has disrespected our country and national team coach greatly. Not because he wants to play for Canada, but cause he says one thing in Bosnia and another in Canada. I'm surprised Canadiens are so positive towards him, cause he most defineatly made those comments regarding Bosnia, and even on the radio show he left an opening for himself to ditch Canada.

[Footscray]

He hasn't actually said any comments about Bosnia except that he has a discussion with the coach and that he is not considering playing for them at this point. Who knows what was said behind closed doors but if you should be angry with anyone it is your FA - they clearly announced that Asmir would play for you at a point in time when he was not going to.

People are positive towards him because he has actually played for our country 32 times at various youth levels which is a pretty significant commitment, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[squizz1402635577]

quote:Originally posted by Cassano10

@redhat: As a Bosnian, I really don't want to see him play for us. He has disrespected our country and national team coach greatly. Not because he wants to play for Canada, but cause he says one thing in Bosnia and another in Canada. I'm surprised Canadiens are so positive towards him, cause he most defineatly made those comments regarding Bosnia, and even on the radio show he left an opening for himself to ditch Canada.

Have you considered the possibility that your national team head coach was just talking out of his ass the whole time?

[Guest Ed]

I think I might have to pull out a traditional Ed greeting for our Bosnian chum. Eh?

[loyola]

quote:Originally posted by Ed

I think I might have to pull out a traditional Ed greeting for our Bosnian chum. Eh?

I was waiting for it to use my new mods power.

Seriously, I don't think it's needed. Cassano10 posts aren't offensive and he's trying to give us the bosnian version of this story. I think his contribution is more than welcome as long as he isn't making stuff up just to provoke a reaction from us. So far, it seems he is bringing credible facts.

[bettermirror]

^As a mod - the postings on this thread are just fine! (so far!)

As the husband of a Bosnian woman, I can completely understand Asmir's allegiance to a country he had to flee. I have no doubt his family speaks Croatian at home (or one of the dialects of course), celebrate with Bosnian-enthusiasm, probably he is connected to the Bosnian community in Portsmouth (such as it might be). However, I know that my wife supports Canada because from the age of 12 it has given her everything.

It's a very difficult decision for Asmir, I have no doubt. However, from my perspective, Canada has given him everything from both an educational and sporting perspective. He is a citizen of Canada, and has played for our nats, including on the WORLD stage.

His intentions should be nothing but Canadian. That doesn't mean he turns his back on Bosnia.

Just from an "I'm interested in" perspective. Is Asmir's heritage Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian etc??? The reason I ask, my wife is Croat, however, born in Bosnia. The in-laws of course are also Croatian, and the family speaks Croatian.

[snake]

asmir is a bosniak which is how a bosnian muslim is now defined as.the language(croato-serbian)is still the same.

[Guest Dave]

My guess would be that, when the Bosnian coach met with Asmir and his father, Asmir was polite enough to tell them that he had not 100% ruled out the possibility of playing for Bosnia. I could see Asmir saying such a thing in the context of "in the worst case scenario", like if Mitchell came back as coach and never called him up for the next two years. The coach might have then asked if it was ok to at least start the necessary paperwork with FIFA, just in case he decided later to play for them. Asmir might have then signed something allowing them to proceed. The Bosnian federation then might have made out the application to FIFA on Asmir's behalf.

In such a situation, I could see how things could be "spun" in a positive light for Bosnia, without making anyone a liar.

[brownbear]

quote:Originally posted by bettermirror

^As a mod - the postings on this thread are just fine! (so far!)

As the husband of a Bosnian woman, I can completely understand Asmir's allegiance to a country he had to flee. I have no doubt his family speaks Croatian at home (or one of the dialects of course), celebrate with Bosnian-enthusiasm, probably he is connected to the Bosnian community in Portsmouth (such as it might be). However, I know that my wife supports Canada because from the age of 12 it has given her everything.

It's a very difficult decision for Asmir, I have no doubt. However, from my perspective, Canada has given him everything from both an educational and sporting perspective. He is a citizen of Canada, and has played for our nats, including on the WORLD stage.

His intentions should be nothing but Canadian. That doesn't mean he turns his back on Bosnia.

Just from an "I'm interested in" perspective. Is Asmir's heritage Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian etc??? The reason I ask, my wife is Croat, however, born in Bosnia. The in-laws of course are also Croatian, and the family speaks Croatian.

Yup, Asmir is a Bosnian Muslim name, as is Begovic. Bosnia-Herzegovina is a historical region in Bosnia, which since Ottoman times (about 1500 or so) has been home to southern Slavs of three major faiths--Islam, Catholicism, and Christian (Eastern) Orthodox. Those of Islamic faith were first officially recognized as having their own (that is, as distinct from Croats and Serbs) ethnicity by the Yugoslav government beginning in 1971. The term Bosniak (Bosnjak) actually has a long, historical pedigree.

Bosnian "Croats" are Bosnians of Catholic faith, while Bosnian "Serbs" are Bosnians of Eastern Orthodox faith. All three ethnic groups speak the same language--in fact, linguistic differences are regional in that Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats from Sarajevo would speak a similar dialect while Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks from Mostar would also speak a similar dialect distinct from those of their compatriots in Sarajevo.

As for the Begovic situation specifically, Miroslav "Ciro" Blazevic--Bosnia's current coach--is extremely boastful and often makes claims that he can't fulfill.

Who knows what Begovic will do; he's currently weighing his options and there are competing inducements, the final calculus of which only he knows for certain.

[bettermirror]

Thanks Brownbear - I knew all of that - I was just wondering specifically about Asmir. I asked my wife when she got home and gave me the same answer. If I ask my father-in-law I better get comfy....he loves explaining! Thanks again, BB.

[snake]

super hot bosnian babe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30dE6Ck7vOw

[redhat]

quote:Originally posted by Cassano10

@redhat: As a Bosnian, I really don't want to see him play for us. He has disrespected our country and national team coach greatly. Not because he wants to play for Canada, but cause he says one thing in Bosnia and another in Canada. I'm surprised Canadiens are so positive towards him, cause he most defineatly made those comments regarding Bosnia, and even on the radio show he left an opening for himself to ditch Canada.

Thanks for your honest answer. I would say Canadians (that's WE,

Canadians of all backgrounds, who wouldn't hesitate to wear

the Maple Leaf) have been relieved that another Canadian-raised

footballer has apparently not opted for another country.

We have been stung before, so our reaction is not surprising.

[Guest Ed]

Long post here. But this should clear up questions on his upbringing. I wrote this over 5 years ago.

Super Bowl Sunday Again

Many Canadians will remember Sunday February 1st, 2004 for the Super Bowl and the brouhaha around the half time show; but for one family in Edmonton, it will be remembered as the day their 16 year-old son left home to pursue a dream. On Super Bowl Sunday, the youngster boarded a plane out of Edmonton International en route to London, England. The teenager was following in the footsteps of a few other young Albertans, leaving his family, friends and the open spaces of western Canada behind. He was on his way to Portsmouth, taking the first step in what he hoped to be a professional career in that other ‘football’, the one played by the rest of the world. Owen Hargreaves. Kevin McKenna. Lars Hirschfeld. Tam Nsaliwa. Nik Ledgerwood. Waldemar Dutra. Ryan Gyaki. Add the name Asmir Begovic to the ever-growing list of young Albertans trying to make a living abroad playing the beautiful game.

Who is Asmir Begovic? How did a youngster from Edmonton get hooked up with the likes of ‘Pompey’? The more you look into it, this is a story of a boy destined to be a professional soccer player. This is a story of a son playing out his father’s dream, the father whose own dream was shattered by the horrors of war. This is a story of a young talent who has caught the eye of coaches here and abroad, from a very young age. This is a story of a youngster achieving success despite great odds, joining a club enjoying success against great odds.

The Young Giant

Over a year ago I was talking to Tommy Wheeldon about the upcoming 2003 A-League and PDL season for the Calgary Storm. Tommy said, ‘You’ve got to see this young keeper in Edmonton. He’s a giant.’ He was talking about 15-year old Asmir Begovic, an imposing figure at over 6 feet tall and closing in on 200 lbs. I remembered the name as he had been with our U15 youth development team on a tour to Germany in September 2002. Tommy was not just impressed with the kid’s size; he had seen him play and was looking for him to be part of the Storm’s PDL team. He never did make it down to Calgary for that 2003 PDL season, but young Asmir’s name start coming up again and again.

In December 2002, he was named to the Canadian national U17 squad as they had a camp in Mexico. Then later in March 2003, he was the only Albertan named to our U17 World Cup Qualifying squad as they prepared to take on Cuba, Costa Rica and Mexico in Victoria (mind you, Patrick Kelly of Cochrane was a lock to make the team but a knee injury forced him to the sidelines). He got a start in a warm-up game against a local college team in Victoria but stayed on the bench as the more experienced Robert Giacomi was in goal for Canada in its 3 qualifying games.

In June, Asmir was again in the Canadian soccer news as he was named to our U17 development team as they embarked on an exciting tour of Europe. And these quotes from the CSA game reports certainly did not hurt the youngster’s reputation. In his first action, Asmir came on in the 2nd half of Canada’s game vs. a youth team from the Austria Memphis Magna club. Canada went ahead 1-0 in the 2nd half and then:

“In the 85th minute, the Austrian side broke quickly and Canadian 'keeper Asmir Begovic found himself one v one with Memphis striker Raphael Reifelshammer. Begovic made the initial save but after a scramble, a Canadian defender was called for a hand ball. Christian Greitbauer stepped up to take the spot kick and hammered his shot to Begovic's right. Begovic, at full-stretch, made a remarkable save to preserve the lead.”

Four days later, Canada’s U17 team took on their Austrian counterparts with Asmir starting in net. Canada lost narrowly 1-0, but quotes like this from the CSA match report sounded promising:

“The young Austrians also had 5-6 glorious chances to widen their lead but Begovic looked unbeatable denying them at every turn, while keeping the Canucks in the match.”

It is no surprise that a lot of people have good things to say about young Asmir Begovic. He has been part of our national player pool for a year and a half, training at the Prairies Region National Training Centre in Edmonton. Sean Fleming, the CSA staff coach in Edmonton, first noticed Asmir playing in Edmonton against a men’s premier division team when he was only 14 years old. “He’s got the physique. For someone so big and tall, he’s very athletic. And he’s courageous. He is a real presence on the field and breeds confidence.” Sean goes on to describe Asmir as a “real shot stopper” with a bit of an edge.

Canada’s U17 coach Stephen Hart, contacted at the Maritime Region National Training Centre, was also full of praise for Asmir. “He’s got very good qualities technically. He is a classic stand-up keeper, very composed under pressure.” Stephen Hart was very impressed with Asmir’s “ability to take in coaching advice and apply it to his game”. Sean Fleming also commented on his ability to learn from his coaches. “His feet are getting better and better which is an area he has been working on”. And it is precisely qualities like these of course that make a youth player attractive to professional clubs.

And so, it was inevitable really that when IMG, who have close contacts with the CSA (through their involvement with Soccer Canada Properties) approached the youth team coaches for names of players to recommend for trials in the UK this past summer, the giant young keeper’s name came up. And so, this past August, Asmir Begovic was off to England.

But there is a lot more to this story, for it was really quite extraordinary that young Asmir Begovic was ever able to play for Canada. It was a rather long and hazardous road that took the youngster and his family to Edmonton in the first place.

Refugees from Bosnia

Back in the early 1990’s, Amir Begovic and his wife Ajnija were enjoying life in Bosnia and Herzegovina, then part of Yugoslavia. Amir was earning a living as professional soccer player, a goalkeeper for a 2nd division team in the southern town of Trebinje. Trebinje is known as one of the jewels of Bosnia and Herzegovina, half an hour upriver from the Croatian city of Dubrovnik on the Adriatic coast. After many years of stability, the Balkans suddenly erupted with the downfall of the Communist regime in Belgrade. With the threat of conflict spreading to Bosnia increasingly real, Amir and his family fled as refugees to Germany in 1992. Within a couple of months, some of Amir’s friends back in Trebinje were dead, victims of the civil war. Meanwhile, Amir and his family had joined his father-in-law in Heilbronn, a town in southwest Germany just outside Stuttgart. There young Asmir, 5 years old when they arrived in Germany, started to play soccer. Following his father’s lead, he was determined to be a keeper even in his first venture into “Bambini” soccer (the youngest level of organized ‘fussball’ in Germany). He played with various youth teams progressing to the top youth teams in his district by the 1994-1995 season. The family lived in Heilbronn for seven years, and young Asmir even caught the eye of local scouts. The Stuttgarter Kickers, well known for developing talent, left an open offer for young Asmir to join their club as a youth player. This club developed a couple of well-known players for Germany, Fredi Bobic, who recently has been prominent scoring goals for Germany in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2004 and the famous Juergen Klinsmann, who went on from the Kickers to the other Stuttgart club, Vfb Stuttgart, before finding fame with such teams as Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur as well as the German national team in the 80s and early 90s.

But after seven years in Germany, three months after the Kickers offer, the Begovics were forced to relocate. This time, they did not have a father-in-law to welcome them to their new locale. Amir Begovic, his wife and now three sons were ‘offered’ a spot in Edmonton, a city unknown to them in far-away Canada, and away they went.

So here we are only a few short years later. In 1999, Amir and his family relocated to Edmonton to begin a new life in Canada. Asmir started playing soccer initially with Edmonton Juventus but then made the switch to Edmonton Southwest United. His rise in the ranks was remarkable however, as at the U14 level he was representing Alberta. The next year, at the U15 level, he was part of the Alberta All-star team that represented the province in Newfoundland. There, he was scouted by the CSA and a few months later, in the fall of 2002, he was off to Germany with the U15s. And that brings us back full circle to his emergence as a terrific prospect and the call from IMG.

The Break

And so in August, Asmir Begovic arrived in the old navy town of Portsmouth on the south coast of England for a week long trial. Ironically, given his Stuttgarter Kickers connection, Asmir was to have gone on to Tottenham Hotspur for a trial after Portsmouth, but he never got the chance. The youth coaches and scouts were so impressed with his abilities after two days of trials that they extended the trial to the full month and offered him a spot on their youth club immediately.

Portsmouth might be a good fit for a young player like Asmir. Chelsea was not the first English club to benefit from the auspices of an entrepreneur from the ‘former Eastern bloc’. Milan Mandaric was born in (then) Yugoslavia and made his way to the USA in the late 60s. He eventually became a very successful entrepreneur and was one of the major players in the old NASL, as owner of the original San Jose Earthquakes. It was he who brought George Best over to the States. In 1999, after several moves in the European football market, Milan Mandaric purchased Portsmouth FC. The club, historically known as “Pompey”, has a lot of history, founded 104 years ago in the old navy town. As owner and chairman of the then first division club, he has seen some success. Under the management of ex-West Ham boss Harry Redknapp, ‘Pompey’ has reentered the top flight of English football. Here is what the renowned film director Arthur Minghella, the son of the lone Italian immigrant in a town on the Isle of Wight and an unabashed lifelong supporter of Pompey had to say this past August to the British newspaper “The Times”:

“It is difficult to imagine a more satisfying season than Pompey gave us last year. Escape from the first division is normally achieved in dispiriting style, with teams favouring organization , pace and strength over artistry. Portsmouth won the division playing fluid and sometimes beautiful attacking football, conducted by the quixotic Paul Merson, underpinned by an impressive defence. Even from the remote vantage point of Romania, to which I was exiled for a good part of the year filming Cold Mountain, reduced to telephoning friends and listening to their radios through the receiver, it was evident that something extraordinary was happening”.

And what happened was extraordinary. The club is back in the Premiership, has loaded up a few stars like Patrik Berger from Liverpool and Teddy Sheringham from Tottenham, and with the ex-West Ham keeper Shaka Hislop in goal, they may just stay up in the Premiership this season, a season in which at least they have had a good FA Cup run, knocking out Liverpool en route to the quarter-finals.

And so on September 12th, 2003, Dave Hurst, the club’s head of youth development arrived in Edmonton and spent the weekend with the Begovic family. By the time he left, the parents were satisfied that young Asmir was getting a great offer: two years on a youth scholarship to be followed by a two year professional deal and completion of his high school education.

I spoke to his Dad after Asmir had settled in and it sounded like Asmir is adjusting well to life as a youth soccer player. He was into training within a day or two of his arrival. His weekly schedule is pretty much in line with the continental schooling of an apprentice tradesman. North American audiences might find it odd. He attends academic classes at Portsmouth College Monday mornings, Wednesday afternoons and all day Thursday. It’s pretty much football the rest of the time, culminating in a Saturday game. Sundays are free. Within a couple of weeks of his arrival, Asmir managed to get into a midweek game with the reserve side in London and was quite happy to tell his Dad that he only allowed 1 goal in his 2nd half of work in a 4-4 draw. This game was an exception as Asmir will typically be playing once a week with the U17 team. His last outing with them was a 2-0 win over a local team. Asmir is looking forward to next season, when the Portsmouth Football Club officially expands its training facilities to ‘academy’ status and moves up to a higher-level league featuring the youth teams of many other EPL clubs.

This young kid and his family have been through hardships most Canadians will never have to endure during their lives. But through it all, Amir Begovic saw to it that young Asmir’s passion for the game of soccer and goalkeeping was allowed to flourish. And despite all the hardship, young Asmir showed grit and determination in excelling at his passion for goalkeeping. May Stuttgart’s loss be Pompey’s (and Canada’s) gain. Here’s to Asmir seeing success in his goal to be a pro soccer player two years down the road, and, meanwhile, may he enjoy the experience.

[SthMelbRed]

^perhaps the fact that that the CSA played some part in Asmir getting his big, professional break has helped in sowing the seeds of loyalty to Canada and the Canadian program.