Bosnia sack manager Robert Prosinecki ahead of Northern Ireland tie

Northern Ireland's Euro 2020 rivals Bosnia have have sacked their manager Robert Prosinecki, the Balkan nation's FA (NFSBIH) said on Wednesday.

Bosnia finished fourth in Group J of the qualifiers under the the former Croatian international midfielder, winning four and losing five of their 10 qualifiers to finish beneath Italy, Finland and Greece.

They will host Michael O’Neill’s side in the first round of the Euro 2020 playoffs , with the winners of that one-off tie enjoying home advantage against the winners of the Slovakia v Republic of Ireland encounter. The winner of that game will earn a place at the finals.

Under fire from fans, pundits and the media, Prosinecki briefly stepped down after a 4-2 defeat by Armenia in September, only to reverse his decision 48 hours later after he was asked by the NFSBIH to stay in charge.

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However, the Bosnian FA lost their patience after a 2-1 setback in Greece followed by a 3-0 home defeat by Italy left them with no chance of automatic qualification.

In its statement, the NFSBIH said: “We wish Prosinecki the best of luck in his future endeavours. He’s been very professional and showed plenty of hunger in our quest to qualify for the European Championship.”

Bosnian media have touted the country’s former head coach Safet Susic, who guided them to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, as the prime candidate to replace Prosinecki.