Photographs of the celebration and euphoria of the Bosnian national team players circulated the world after they secured their World Cup qualification last week, followed by numerous congratulations.
Cyprus champion Pafos, the club defended by Bosnian national team player Ivan ล unjiฤ, also decided to join in the congratulations.
However, what was meant to be a simple message of support and pride for the qualification quickly turned into a disaster.
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Specifically, the Cypriot club removed the old state flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina with lilies from the original photograph. The flag was clearly visible in the background behind Nikola Katiฤ and in front of Tarik Muharemoviฤ in the original photo, but in the version published by Pafos, this detail was erased.
This move was perceived as a great disrespect and sparked immense anger among Bosnian and Herzegovinian fans, who soon flooded the Cypriot club's social media.
Many pointed out that it would have been better if they hadn't congratulated at all, and that erasing the first flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a disgraceful act, questioning why they did it. There were also those who, out of revolt, wished for the club to be relegated to the second league. The atmosphere further intensified when individuals, in retaliation for the club's move, began responding with geopolitical provocations, leaving messages claiming that Cyprus is Turkish.
In the end, after becoming the target of much criticism from our fans, Pafos deleted the controversial post.