BOSNIA NAMED MEHO KODRO AS NEW NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM COACH

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (January 7,2008) - Bosnia has named former national football team captain Meho Kodro as the new coach following the team's failure in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

Kodro, who replaces Fuad Muzurovic, was preferred to two other candidates on the Bosnian Football Association's (NFSBIH) shortlist, German Lothar Matthaeus and Croatian Zlatko Kranjcar.

"Meho Kodro won unanimous support by all present members of the NSFSBIH Executive Board," the body's vice-president Sulejman Colakovic told the Bosnian state radio.

"Our national team will get a new quality with Kodro," he said.

Kodro is new to coaching but has a rich club career, which he began in the mid 1980s with his hometown club Velez,Mostar.

He went on to play in Spain with Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Tenerife and Deportivo Alaves. He joined Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2000, where he stayed until his retirement in 2002.

Kodro has since worked as assistant coach at Real Sociedad,Spain.

The 40-year-old former Bosnian national football team captain does not have long to wait for his first match in charge, as a friendly in Japan is scheduled for 30 January.

"It is a great honour to lead my country, especially since I played for the team," said Kodro, who scored three times in 13 outings for Bosnia.

"I'm expecting a difficult assignment, but I hope that together with the players and the supporters we can get off to a successful start in the section," the new Bosnian national football team coach Meho Kodro said.

The Bosnians face Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Armenia and Estonia in their quest to reach the finals in South Africa.