The handball team of Sloga from Doboj has secured a return to European club competitions after three years. Under the most challenging conditions—playing as guests almost the entire season and fielding a youthful lineup—coach Dejan Vasilić’s squad overcame numerous obstacles to finish fourth and earn a place in the EHF European Cup.
The season started poorly for Sloga, with a 2-6 record, leading many to believe they would be fighting relegation. However, the team remained confident in their work. Despite playing in the Osječani hall, enduring long travel times, training in cold conditions during the winter, and even clearing trees off the roads just to reach practice, the players never lost spirit. In the end, they were rewarded with a return to European competition.
Coach Dejan Vasilić expressed pride in everything the team accomplished during this period, praising the players for their resilience.
“The players deserve all the praise for what we endured this past season. Only we know the kinds of challenges we faced. We played just two matches in Doboj but never gave up. Despite the poor start and the lack of belief from many, we kept working and believed in our abilities. We ultimately reached fourth place and brought the club back to Europe. This result reflects truly hard and quality work. We had an excellent run at the end of the first half of the season, and as the championship progressed, we kept improving. The players showed their character,” said Vasilić.
The goal at the start of the season was to finish among the top five teams, a target that was met.
“We stated from the beginning that we wanted to finish among the top five and continue promoting our young players. Both objectives were achieved. We played well throughout most of the season, secured fourth place, and our young players progressed significantly. That’s a huge satisfaction for us. Many players earned call-ups to national teams—Hasan Ikanović made Bosnia and Herzegovina’s list, Dario Đenadija is a regular in Serbia’s youth selections, and now we also have Todor Milosavljević, Nikola Stjepanović, and Vladan Marković. That speaks to our success and is very rewarding for the coaching staff,” Vasilić emphasized.
Cup finale to close the season
Sloga will have the chance to crown the season with a trophy. They will host Višegrad in the final of the Republika Srpska Cup on May 28.
“Winning the Republika Srpska Cup would be the perfect ending to the season. Višegrad has shown a lot this season, and it’s unfortunate they were relegated from the Premier League. They’re a quality team and will be a tough opponent in the final,” Vasilić concluded.
Source: Glas Srpske
