Edo Dedovic

Over 30 years ago I had to be medically evacuated from Bosnia after the horrors of the war.

This week I’m in LA with my son, celebrating a great achievement by our football team. This was a prize for Edwin, for all the hard work he’s put into his rehab over the last 12 months.

So hvala, Zmajevi, for making this possible.

And hvala to all our fans. Some had travelled from Bosnia, though most of us left long ago and built our lives in other countries. Many, like my son, were born abroad. But the love for Bosnia is in our blood.

Before the game kicked off, the stadium played Ljiljani by Halid Bešlić. It didn’t matter where you were born. As long as you’re Bosnian, you know the lyrics. Who would ever have thought it would be sung so loudly in LA.

Hearing it, and all of us Bosnians singing together, gave me goosebumps. I had to hold the tears back as I joined in. Proud of our journey. Proud of who we are.

Our fans sang all game, even when it wasn’t going our way. In my country we know how to appreciate the good days, and even in defeat, this was one of them.