Bosnia seek redemption with coach unsure of future

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SALVADOR (Reuters) - Bosnia want to leave their first World Cup with some form of redemption from their final game against Iran but the uncertain future of popular coach Safet Susic will be hanging over them.

Already eliminated after narrow defeats by Argentina and Nigeria, Bosnia continue to bemoan the refereeing decisions they believe cost them a possible knockout round place as they seek to finish the tournament in Brazil with a win. “We all expected the match tomorrow (Wednesday) to be our key game to decide a place in the round of 16 but it has not panned out as we had expected,” Susic told the pre-match news conference at the Fonte Nova arena on Tuesday. “Had we had more luck, had we played better and the referees taken more logical decisions we could have been competing for a place in the knockout round. “We are very disappointed and I apologize but it was our World Cup debut. We will be looking for some redemption,” he said referring to their final game against Iran, who can still qualify for the last 16 if results go their way.

"“We all expected the match tomorrow (Wednesday) to be our key game to decide a place in the round of 16 but it has not panned out as we had expected,” Susic told the pre-match news conference at the Fonte Nova arena on Tuesday"Captain Emir Spahic added: “Other factors decided our fate, but we have to accept things as they are. We hoped we would have stayed longer and objectively speaking we could have.” A decision to rule offside a legitimate-looking goal for Edin Dzeko in Saturday's Group F game against Nigeria in Cuiaba is at the center of Bosnia's complaints. But Susic has also been criticized for changing the frontline that saw Bosnia score 30 goals in 10 qualifiers to reach their first World Cup finals.

"I have no regrets," he said. "We started with the same lineup that did well for us in the pre-tournament friendlies where we beat Mexico and the Ivory Coast. I don’t regret any decision.” The coach skirted around questions about his own future, with his contract coming to an end after the tournament.

“It’s not really the right time to discuss this," he added. "We still have an important match to play but in the next 10 days it will be known to everyone. “It will be hard for me to let this national side go because we achieved something unprecedented in our history. We are the generation who went to the World Cup. But the day to say farewell will come,” the 59-year-old Susic added.

(Editing by Ken Ferris)

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