Izvidjac to get back BiH on SEHA map

Izvidjac - Tatran

Bosnia and Herzegovina will be represented on the SEHA - Gazprom League map, once again, with the reigning champions HRK Izvidjac Ljubuski. The team from Herzegovina is famous for its work with young players and this will be their biggest strength in the upcoming season in one of the strongest handball leagues in Europe, where they already competed in season 2016/2017.

However, HRK Izvidjac are at the new beginning with the new coach and radically changed roster. The 41-year old coach Mario Bjelis will replace the experienced Silvio Ivandija, who left the club after winning the national Championship in May. This will be the first international coaching experience for Bjelis, as he previously worked with Croatian teams RK Split and HRK Metkovic.

"Izvidjac are playing for the trophies every year and SEHA League is a big motivation for the players, but also the coaches. This season will be a big challenge for me", said Bjelis upon his arrival.

Ljubuski is a new home for three players of HRK Zrinjski Mostar - Bosnian national team left wing Vedran Delic, goalkeeper Goran Andjelic, and line-player Dragan Soljic. From Split, Bjelis took with himself right wing Duje Maretic.

The former players of six-times Bosnia and Herzegovina champions, HRK Izvidjac, are well-known names in world of handball like Mirko Alilovic, Marin Sego, Denis Buntic, Mirsad Terzic and many others, and that tradition could be easily extended with very talented players like Josip Sarac or David Mandic who left the team in directions of RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko and RK PPD Zagreb, to open new chapters of their careers.

Mateo Rodin (French Nancy), Marko Ivankovic (RK Vogosca), Petar Bubalo, Ivan Budalic, Bozidar Lekovic, Kristijan Jarak and Matej Markovic also left Ljubuski this summer.

Handball lovers in Ljubuski are ready to watch the best handball which will remind them on the brightest days of club's history at the beginning of the Century, when EHF Champions League matches were played at Gradska dvorana in front of 4.000 fans with the highest point - Cup Winners Cup semi-final matches against BM Ademar Leon in season 2004/2005.