Zoran Mamic to Remain Coach of Dinamo Zagreb
July 23, 2020 - It is now official - Zoran Mamic will remain on the Dinamo bench next season as well, the club confirmed from Maksimir on Wednesday.
"The management of GNK Dinamo has decided to appoint Zoran Mamic as the head coach of the club's first team," Dinamo wrote in a statement and continued:
"When making this decision, we took into account that Zoran Mamic, as a former celebrated player, team captain, long-term sports director and from 2013 to 2016, head coach, knows the Dinamo system best. This is especially important in light of the fact that immediately after the end of the current season, a new season will begin, in which our ambitions are to win a new Croatian title and placement in one of the UEFA leagues.
In the coaching term of Zoran Mamic, we won five trophies, played in the Europa League and the Champions League, in which we remember the great victory over Arsenal in Maksimir. In that period, he promoted and gave the opportunity to a number of young players such as Marko Pjaca, Dani Olmo, Nikola Moro, Borna Sosa, Filip Benkovic, Filip Brekal, and Amer Gojak. The successes that Zoran Mamic achieved in his foreign coaching career in which he played the final of the World Club Championship with Al-Ain further strengthen the decision to appoint him to the position of coach of the GNK Dinamo first team.
In addition to the job of head coach, Zoran Mamic will retain the position of sports director. With Mr. Mamic appointed to two roles, we continue with the rationalization and responsible business in accordance with the global economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," Dinamo concluded.
Recall, after Igor Jovicevic was sacked on July 6, the Zagreb club announced that Zoran Mamic would lead Dinamo Zagreb until the end of the season. Mamic was then only the club's sports director. Zoran is the brother of the infamous fugitive Zdravko Mamic, and two years ago, he was sentenced to four years and 11 months in prison for damaging the club.
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Croatian Water Polo Championships: Jug One Step Closer to Title
July 23, 2020 - In the second match of the playoff finals for the Croatian champion, played on Wednesday night in Zagreb, Dubrovnik's Jug AO were better than the home team Mladost in yet another penalty shootout and celebrated 13-11 (2-2, 3-3, 4-2, 1-3, 3-1) to take the 2-0 lead in the series to three wins.
HRT reports that the match ended in a 10-10 draw, and Jug goalkeeper Toni Popadic brought the Dubrovnik club the victory in the shootout with two crucial saves.
During regulation time, Jug's best scorer was Loren Fatovic with five goals, Alexandros Papanastasiou scored three, and Luka Loncar and Filip Krzic scored one goal each. Mladost's top scorer was Lovre Milos with four goals, Matias Biljaka scored two, and Milos Cuk, Luka Bukic, Franko Lazic and Konstantin Harkov scored one goal each.
After a tie game during the first two quarters, Jug created a three-goal lead in the third quarter (9-6), but the home team responded with a four-goal streak and took a 10-9 lead two and a half minutes before the end.
In the remaining time, only Filip Krzic managed to get past Mladost goalkeeper Marcelic to equalize at 10-10. Mladost had an attack to win, but the crossbar stopped Bowen's shot, so, just like in the first game, the winner was decided in a penalty shootout.
Here, the Dubrovnik team showed much more precision, and their goalkeeper Toni Popadic stopped the shots of Bukic and Lazic, while Bowen hit the crossbar. Thus, Jug took a 2-0 lead in the final series, and in three days, Vjekoslav Kobescak's team will have the opportunity to win the Croatian championship title for the fifth time in a row, and for the 16th time in total.
The third game of the finals is scheduled for Saturday, starting at 8:15 pm, and will be played in Dubrovnik at the Gruz swimming pool.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
Reshetka Pop-Up Fine Dining Street Food Season Kicks Off in Varazdinske Toplice
July 23, 2020 - The Reshetka pop-up fine dining street food season has begun, as Nikola Bozic and Katarina Vrenc combine to produce something new and authentic for the Croatian coast this summer.
When I first moved to Croatia back in 2003, there was a joke among the local expats about restaurant food in Dalmatian restaurants, whose offer was essentially the same. There is one factory somewhere in Croatia which prints the menus for all the restaurants. All the restaurant then has to do is add its name and prices.
And it was true. The food one offer was very one-dimensional. Once you had tried one menu, you had tried them all. Thankfully, there has been a lot of progress since then, and the gourmet scene in Croatia has really moved forward in the last decade, both in the acceptance of more international cuisine, but also in a growing diversity and experimentation of the younger generation of Croatian chefs.
And sometimes those young visionaries combine to create something a little different, as was the case last Friday night at famed meat restaurant Djurina Hiza in Varazdinske Toplice.
Already regarded as one of the premier meat restaurants in the country, Hiza owner Nikola Bozic has been easily the most active restaurateur during the corona crisis. As others kept their restaurants closed and laid off staff, he not only kept his entire team but hired more people, as he reinvented his business model. A nationwide delivery service of his quality dry-aged steaks and other fine Croatian products proved to be a big hit, one which is now in the process of going Europe-wide.
Looking to the future, I accompanied Nikola as he took delivery of Croatia's first free-range wagyu cows, now enjoying 200,000 m2 of paradise in Zumberak Nature Park.
Among his many other skills (including winning best burger at the 2019 Zagreb Burger Festival, Bozic also organised street food festivals through his Reshetka brand, bringing his grilling expertise to different parts of the country. Along the way, he has met many inspirational people in the gourmet industry, including a young Istrian chef with previous experience in Zinfandel and Plavi Podrum in Volosko. One only has to listen to Katarina Vrenc talk about her passion for food for a second to realise that she is going to be a big name in the Croatian gourmet world very soon.
And so a partnership was formed to offer something a little different, and a little authentic, for tourists in Croatia this summer. - pop-up fine dining street food at various locations on the coast, as previously reported on TCN.
The opening night was at Djurina Hiza in Varazdinske Toplice (and it will be repeated tomorrow before heading to the coast), and TCN was delighted to be in attendance to watch Katarina weave her culinary magic. IT was rather a different menu, as you can see below, but one which worked very well.
To start, smoked tuna tartare, lardo on chickpeas taco, yellow Jolokia mayo, fermented cherries and sea fennel.
The second course was octopus and pork belly kushiyaki, octopus jus, fermented garlic, and sea fennel croquette.
Chef Ozren prepared an amazing "Wild Đuro" deer burger with wild Mushroom sauce and soft butter buns.
And to finish, chamomile tuile, white chocolate namelaka and baked peaches with orange wine and chamomile macerate.
Fabulous.
VIDEO: See The Wild Birds Of Krka National Park And A UNESCO World Heritage Site In Šibenik
July 22, 2020 – VIDEO: See The Wild Birds Of Krka National Park And A UNESCO World Heritage Site In Šibenik
Known for its series of cascading waterfalls, its picturesque pools and its acres of lush vegetation, Krka, just outside Šibenik, is one of Croatia's most-loved National Parks. But, scoring the skyline overhead and resting in its trees you can spot one of its other best attractions; the wild birds of Krka National Park.
The National Park has released a new video showcasing just some of the 229 species of birds that call Krka home. Now, you don't have to strain your eyes to see some of its wondrous winged inhabitants. Also visible in the film is the park's Visovac island and its postcard-pretty monastery.
The wild birds of Krka National Park
The short but stunning video catches kingfishers, ducks, buzzards, kestrels, cormorants, swallows and others, in flight or at play on the water's surface. But, should you choose to visit Krka National Park, there's the chance of seeing even rarer birds that sometimes live there, such as ospreys, eagles, falcon and griffon vulture.
Situated just a few kilometres from well-known seaside destination Šibenik, in summertime Krka becomes one of the most popularly visited National Parks in the country. Visitors who can't spend their entire vacation on the beach love to make the short journey inland for a day of stunning natural beauty, shaded on the pathways as they walk by trees like umbrellas.
The Fortress of St. Nicholas, just off Šibenik, the best-preserved Venetian defensive structure in Croatia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site © Sebastian Gößl
And, there's never been a better time to take in the park. Visitor numbers to the region are understandably down on 2019 and so Krka National Park this year offers a more peaceful and unhurried experience than in many previous seasons. If that wasn't incentive enough, tickets for the park in summer 2020 hold a 10% discount to entry of the Fortress of St. Nicholas in Šibenik, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The best-preserved Venetian defensive structure in Croatia, the fortress has undergone considerable reconstruction work over recent years and only opened itself up to the public again in 2019.
Kras Confectionery Sees Higher H1 Profit Despite Drop in Revenues
ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - Despite a drop in revenues due to the global coronavirus pandemic and economic lockdown, the Kras confectionery group generated a net profit of HRK 13.4 million in the first half of 2020, which is an increase of 15% on the same period of 2019.
Revenues reached HRK 453.1 million, down by 2.6% compared with the first half of last year, the company's financial statement showed on Wednesday.
Sales revenues fell by 6.6% to HRK 427.3 million, of which HRK 225.7 million was generated on the domestic market and HRK 201.6 million on the foreign markets.
Expenditures were nearly 3% lower than last year, totalling HRK 438 million.
The gross profit was HRK 15.1 million, or 8% more than at the same time last year, while the net profit reached HRK 13.4 million.
(€1 = HRK 7.527586)
98,535 Businesses Received Job-Retention Aid for April - Analysis
ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - A total of 98,535 businesses with 558,700 employees applied for job-retention aid for April, for which the government paid HRK 2.2 billion, or 650 million more than for March, according to an analysis presented by the Fininfo company on Wednesday.
The amount per employee for March was HRK 3,250 net and HRK 4,000 for April and May each plus contributions.
According to the national statistical office, Croatia had 1.528 million persons employed and 159,234 unemployed at the end of May, which means that 37% of all persons employed applied for the job-retention aid.
Excluding from the total number of persons employed the 232,087 working in the public sector, according to Public Administration Ministry data for the end of 2019, it transpires that 43% of those working in the real sector used said aid.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
Dutch Media: Why Portugal Received Regional Travel Advice and Croatia Did Not
July 22, 2020 - Dutch media on why Croatia was put on the orange list, thereby requiring a recommended 14-day self-isolation on return from Croatia.
We received a message from a reader in the Netherlands:
Yesterday the Dutch government gave a negative travel advice for Croatia. Lots of Dutch people already booked a holiday in Croatia, but now they can’t travel. Lots of people were surprised, because in Istria (where lots of Dutch people go during the summer holiday) there is no Corona contamination. The people want to know why they don’t give regional advice instead of for the whole country. The explanation was: because the Croatian government did not supply us with up-to-date information, we cannot do anything else than advise against travel to Croatia.
Croatia's borders remain open to all countries from the EU, EEA and the UK without restriction. In the last couple of days, however, first Lithuania and now the Netherlands have placed a 14-day self-isolation requirement on those returning from a holiday in Croatia. It seems a strange decision to many, given the worse situation elsewhere, but Dutch media is suggesting that part of the problem might be our old friend, Croatian bureaucracy.
As Croatia 'breathes tourism', to quote the somewhat ill-judged corona-era metaphor of outgoing Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, and while the Croatian police are busy answering all the tourism emails, it appears that the Kings of Accidental Tourism are still too busy to update the relevant EU partner authorities with the important information. When I asked our reader for a source, she provided a source:
According to RIVM the National Institute of Public Health spokesperson Loes Hartman, this has to do with a shortage of data. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) receives data from European countries on a daily basis. That information is then forwarded to RIVM. "Croatia is only divided into two regions: the information is not available in more detail," Hartman explains. "There was not much difference between those two regions. You should ask Croatia why so little data is being sent."
"Portugal did send more detailed information. "That country literally said: here we have outbreaks." As a result, RIVM had the necessary data to make regional decisions.
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ZZ Quartet Concert at Kamičak Fortress in Sinj!
July 22, 2020 - Everyone is invited to the concert of top jazz musicians ZZ Quartet, to be held in the unique ambience of the Kamičak Fortress, organized by the Sinj Tourist Board and the Cultural and Artistic Center Sinj, with the support of the City of Sinj!
ZZ quartet consists of Simone Zanchini, one of the world's best accordionists, a member of the famous Milan Scale, Ratko Zjača, one of the best European jazz guitarists and composers, Martin Gjakonovski, a bass guitar virtuoso and unsurpassed drummer Jože Zadravec.
In 2016, the ZZ quartet in Italy won the award for the best jazz album, while this year, they are releasing their fourth joint album.
The ZZ quartet has a unique musical vision that absorbs and reflects the integrity of musical interpretation, retaining an enviable individuality and superior masterfulness that extends from quiet intimacy to intense expression. They have a variety of musical inspirations as they include jazz, classical, world music and free improvisation. They worked on original compositions in which they made beautiful and unforgettable improvisations. Their unique sonic landscapes blur the boundaries between concrete musical forms and free improvisation.
With foundations in music history, they sovereignly step beyond the boundaries of modern improvised music.
You can read more at www.zz-quartet.com.
With such concerts, the Sinj Tourist Board is trying to popularize these musical expressions, but also to position the city of Sinj itself as one of rich cultural and musical tradition. Admission to the concert is free!
Respecting the recommendations of the National Civil Protection Headquarters and the CNIPH, the number of visitors will be limited. However, for all jazz music lovers who are not able to listen to the concert live, the local HIT radio will broadcast a recording of the concert at a convenient time!
Wholesale Drug Suppliers Get HRK 500 Mn for Hospitals' Debt
ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - By the end of July HRK 500 million from the treasury will be paid to hospitals to settle their debt to wholesale drug suppliers, it was agreed on Wednesday by representatives of the government and suppliers, who said this payment should keep hospitals supplied with drugs until autumn.
Government and wholesale drug suppliers' representatives met at the Health Ministry to continue negotiations on hospitals' debt to suppliers, which exceeds HRK 4.2 billion and which has prompted suppliers to say that they will stop delivering drugs and operating supplies.
Although suppliers demanded an urgent payment of HRK 1 billion to make it through the summer, today it was agreed that they would get half of that.
"This will enable us to pay for the drugs which we currently don't have and ensure their delivery until autumn," supplier representative Diana Percac said.
Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said the agreement was that his ministry would find the money and pay it from the treasury to the Croatian Health Insurance Fund by the end of this month, and that the Health Ministry would find a way to transfer the money to hospitals.
Health Minister Vili Beros said the negotiations would continue in the autumn to find a long term solution to settle the debt to wholesale drug suppliers.
(€1 = HRK 7.5)
Parliament Speaker Says Will Discharge Duty Responsibly
ZAGREB, July 22, 2020 - Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic told MPs on Wednesday at the first session of the tenth parliament that being appointed speaker for the second time was a great honour and that he would discharge his duty responsibly.
He said the appointment made him proud. "It's a confirmation of the election results which have shown that citizens support the direction in which the previous government and parliamentary majority took the state, as well as a recognition for all the achievements of the past four years."
Jandrokovic said he would push for the promotion and strengthening of the highest values of the constitutional order as well as the strengthening of and respect for institutions. "This moment demands common sense, calm and seriousness from all of us. And above all, dedication in serving the common interest and Croatian citizens."
He recalled the 30th anniversary of the first Croatian parliament, marked this year, saying the Sabor had always guarded Croatian statehood and protected the interests of the Croatian people.
Croatia today, like the whole world, is in a time full of challenges, faced with a pandemic and an economic crisis, but the government responded quickly and well to protect health, lives and jobs, Jandrokovic said.
"In these complex circumstances, the Croatian Sabor was one of the few European parliaments that worked without a break, passing laws essential for Croatia."
He congratulated Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on the €22 billion that Croatia will get in the next seven-year EU budget, calling on MPs to be responsible in building Croatian society.
He also called on MPs to behave responsibly, to respect each other and accept the principles of work for the common good and the interests of the country based on truth, freedom, justice and equality.
"In order to convince the other side that one's arguments are right, debates can be harsh, but they should be based on openness, tolerance, understanding of what has been said, and respect for colleagues and their opposite views and opinions. We here in the Croatian Sabor aren't enemies. We have different ideas, but I believe we all stand for Croatia's well-being," Jandrokovic said, adding that this was especially important in this challenging time.
He said he was pleased that this Sabor had more women MPs than the last one but still not enough.
Jandrokovic reiterated that a law on the post-earthquake reconstruction of Zagreb would be one of the first to be passed by the new parliament.
