Bosnia and Herzegovina tie up Sušić

Safet Sušić will take charge of Bosnia and Herzegovina for their 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after his expired contract was renewed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Federation (NFSBiH).

Sušić's UEFA EURO 2012 campaign ended in disappointment, with his side beaten by Portugal in the play-offs, but the 56-year-old was delighted to have been given a new mandate after his contract expired on 31 December. "I am pleased that we came to the decision to continue to work together," he said. "That was my goal from the moment the play-offs against Portugal were over.

"I know we have a good team," added the former FK Sarajevo and Paris Saint-Germain FC midfielder, who has been in charge of the national team since 2009. "I know these players well and I believe this team has a better chance of succeeding with me than with anyone who might replace me. We are hoping to surprise our fans with good results and a first-placed finish in our qualifying group."

Bosnia and Herzegovina have been pooled along with Greece, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania and Slovakia in World Cup qualifying Group G, and Ivica Osim – chairman of the NFSBiH normalisation committee – said: "We wanted to give a boost to the players and the fans by keeping Sušić. We all have another chance in this qualification cycle to achieve something unprecedented."

The 20 points earned in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying was a new national record and Sušić's side now lie 20th in the FIFA rankings. Sušić played under Osim as Yugoslavia earned a place at the 1990 World Cup finals in Italy and the hope is that the pair can work together once more to lead Bosnia and Herzegovina to a major tournament for the first time since independence.