Osijek Have The Best Coach In The Croatian First League Nenad Bjelica
Friday, 4 September 2020 - Dinamo Zagreb's loss is NK Osijek's gain, as the rising Slavonians make a surprise start to the new season, lead by the best coach in the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica
There has been a taste of optimism in the air of Osijek for a while now. And much of it has been centred around the city's NK Osijek football club. However, expectations have flown through the roof this week as it has all but been officially confirmed that the team will start the impending season under the guidance of the best coach in the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica.
It is the most surprising move within the Croatian first league since Niko Kranjčar left his boyhood club Dinamo for bitter rivals Hajduk Split in 2005. At the start of last season, Bjelica was the coach of Croatian champions, Dinamo Zagreb.
The best coach in the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica, pictured during his time at FK Austria Wien © Steindy
But, this time, there can be no bitterness directed towards the moving man, no anger assigned to Bjelica for seeking a job in his hometown after his dismissal from Dinamo. Even if you attribute blame to those running the farce that Dinamo Zagreb has become, this latest shame for the club comes at the end of a very long list of grievances. Grievances that Dinamo supporters have proven all too quick to forgive, as soon as their wealthy club again win the league or lift the cup.
In recent years, Osijek has suffered more than any other major Croatian city from population decline. The streets of its westerly lying centre are often deserted in comparison to how the city was 20 years ago. And that's not just because of out-of-town shopping centres. Many young people born here, unable to find work for their considerable talents and skills, can now be found in Germany or Ireland. An accepting but unhappy resignation lies with those who've remained. It shouldn't be like this. Those emerging from the city's excellent university are among the best educated in Croatia. The computer sciences and programmers who graduate from Osijek are second to none.
Gradski Vrt, on the border of Sjenjak, in Osijek. It is the current home of NK Osijek. It will be used for the B team when the new stadium is finished © NK Osijek
One of the chief mood lifts for the men deserted by old school friends has been the attendance of Gradski Vrt, which currently remains NK Osijek's home ground. Not so long ago, it was a visit that only added misery. Though they are one of only four clubs never to have been relegated from the Croatian first league, NK Osijek was facing financial ruin as recently as 2016. But, then, Hungarian businessman Lőrinc Mészáros and Croatian Ivan Meštrović bought majority shares in the club.
Under the new regime, the squad was improved and a can-do spirit returned to the stands at Gradski Vrt. The club finished 4th in the league in 2017, just after celebrating the 70 year anniversary of playing under the name NK Osijek. It was their highest league finish in nearly 10 years and took them to qualifying matches for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League. There, they beat Santa Coloma, Luzern and even former European champions PSV before their run was halted by Austria Wien. It hardly mattered. The ambition and optimism had returned for good. You could feel it throughout the city, not least when rumours of a brand new stadium began to filter through the stands.
Securing fourth in the domestic league the next year again took Osijek to the UEFA competition and in April 2018, plans for the impressive new Pampas Stadium were revealed. A state of art UEFA category 4 stadium for 12,000 rain-shielded fans, the new ground will be fully compatible with televised coverage of international competitions. This is an indicator of Osijek's ambition. Not a day goes by when football fans from the city - indeed, from all over Croatia - check on the progress of construction.
The progress of construction of Osijek's new ground is being watched by football fans across Croatia. it is a fitting home for the best coach in the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica © NK Osijek
That the team should be starting the new season with the best coach in the Croatian first league, Nenad Bjelica, is yet another measure of that ambition. But, unlike the visible rise of the new stands, few saw this one coming. After the mess of his departure from Dinamo Zagreb, it had been anticipated that Bjelica might go to La Liga or Serie A. He's certainly good enough.
A former player for NK Osijek, Bjelica spent four early seasons at his hometown club before moving to Spain to play for Albacete Balompié, Real Betis and Las Palmas. Following a spell of injuries, he returned to Osijek for two seasons and featured for them in the UEFA Cup competition. He played the last eight years of his career as a professional in Germany and Austria, before retiring in 2008. He bowed out after having represented Croatia nine times as part of the national side.
He began his managerial career at the same club from which he retired as a player, Austria's FC Kärnten, but by 2013 had moved to Austria Wien where he helped secure their qualification for the Champions League group stage. He spent time in Italy and Poland before returning to the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica signed for Dinamo Zagreb in 2018.
After a successful first year in charge, most were of the opinion that in the Croatian first league, Nenad Bjelica was the best coach. After guiding the team through a good Europa League campaign, Bjelica's successes resulted in attaining the highest number of qualifying places ever for Croatian domestic teams in European competition. He returned Dinamo Zagreb to the Champions League for the first time in three years before his winning run at the club was halted by their latest debacle.
How NK Osijek's new Pampas stadium complex will look when complete © NK Osijek
How they could have let him slip through their fingers is eye-raising and yet, at the same time, not surprising. This is Dinamo Zagreb. Their supporters are resigned.
“Honestly, I am so happy for Osijek,” frustrated Dinamo Zagreb supporter David Kutleša told TCN upon hearing of the appointment.
“He accepted Osijek? What a legend!” said another, Martin Žunec. “This next season is going to be sick (great).”
For too long have the tarnished successes of Dinamo Zagreb taken the full limelight in Croatian domestic football. Though eminently predictable, their lifting of consecutive cups has nevertheless brought cheer to supporters of a club riddled with trouble. Such domestic achievements may not immediately follow Bjelica to Slavonia. But, it barely matters right now. NK Osijek will start the new season with the best coach in the Croatian first league, Nenad Bjelica. In his acceptance of this appointment, it is to a building momentum of optimism that Bjelica is contributing. And nowhere is that more needed than Osijek.
The official announcement of the Croatian first league Nenad Bjelica's appointment to NK Osijek is expected on Saturday 5 September 2020
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EconMin: As Much EU Funds as Possible Should be Channelled to Economy and Private Sector
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Tomislav Coric said on Friday that he would try to steer as much funds from the EU aid package of €22 billion intended for Croatia as possible to the economy and private sector.
Coric was addressing participants at the Croatian Money Market conference in Opatija.
He said that he had heard from representatives of the real sector in which direction they thought Croatia's recovery should be going.
"We all share a certain dose of optimism about what is to come. The question of distribution of European funds from the EU envelopes of the 2021-2027 operational programme and from the recovery and resilience programme, will be a key issue. The ministry and government intend to direct the majority of those funds towards the economy," Coric said.
He added that it is necessary to improve the domestic economy's competitiveness and productivity in a number of industries, digitise the economy and improve the trade balance by reducing the deficit and boosting GDP growth.
Asked by reporters how much of the €22 billion was available to the private sector, Coric said that that has not been defined yet because neither of the two envelopes had been fully defined at the European level.
"We will probably have to wait for a few months for the answer to that question. Recovery plans need to be officially submitted to the European Commission by April next year and the major part of the funds will be based on that," he said and added: "It is important that already now we allocate as much money as possible to the private sector. There is no alternative. We have to be as strong as possible so that we can return to the pre-crisis level," said Coric.
Responding to reporters' questions, Coric said that the public debt would not explode and that a brilliant job had been done with regard to settling solvency and the government's liabilities for 2020.
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Grant Agreement Signed for New Business Incubator in Zadar
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - An agreement granting HRK 18.3 million to the Inovativni Zadar company to build a new business incubator in Zadar's Bili Brig district was signed on Friday by the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Natasa Tramisak, and the Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (SAFU), Tomislav Petric.
The project is worth a total of HRK 24.5 million and its implementation will begin at the start of next year.
Noting that Zadar had fully absorbed the funds from the Integrated Territorial Investment Mechanism, Tramisak said that the purpose of this project was to boost entrepreneurship and the business climate and pave the way for the development of new companies and innovative businesses.
The Integrated Territorial Investment Mechanism is designed for implementing sustainable urban development activities and provides financial support for implementing integrated activities.
"Young people with ideas need space and we want at least some of them to become respectable business people and help the local economy," Mayor Branko Dukic said.
The existing business incubator, built in the city's Novi Bokanjac district in 2008, has been used by about 80 start-ups with about 200 employees. The new incubator will be able to accommodate about 100 workers.
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FinMin: Full Economic Recovery Expected in 2022
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 -This year's economic decline will not be as sharp as originally estimated, a full recovery is expected by 2022, and our goal it to leave the crisis behind as soon as possible, Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said on Friday in Opatija, where he attended the Croatian Money Market conference.
The government had earlier projected that GDP would drop by 9.4% in 2020, and when asked by reporters whether the drop would be lower than 9% according to the new projection, Maric said that the drop on the year would still be marked but lower than originally projected.
He said that they would report on it in a government session in two weeks and that the projection would be the basis for planning some measures and next year's budget.
Maric underscored that despite the depth of the crisis, Croatia had been much more prepared for it than it had been in 2008, in terms of macroeconomics. He noted that we need to leave the crisis behind us as soon as possible as last time it took us 11 years to recover and only in 2019 did we manage to reach the level of GDP from 2008.
He said that the response to the coronavirus-caused crisis had been timely and adequate, underscoring that the focus was on job retention.
Minister Maric also said that the Next Generation EU recovery instrument could be a great opportunity for Croatia in this challenging situation as it can be used not only for economic recovery but also for resilience.
Asked when those EU funds would be available, Maric said that implementation would fully commence in the second half of 2021 but that part of the funding would be available to Croatia in the form of advance payments before that.
"Next year, Croatia will receive an advance payment of at least 10%, or about HRK 3 billion, and that can be used for these measures and will be part of the budget," he said.
Maric mentioned the Solidarity Fund in connection to Zagreb's post-earthquake reconstruction as an example of an advance payment.
"We are speaking of €500 million, possibly even up to €700 million. A few days ago we received the biggest payment yet from the Solidarity Fund, of €89 million," he said.
Commenting on yesterday's meeting with US Ambassador to Croatia Robert Kohorst, who presented the government with a draft agreements on double taxation avoidance, Maric recalled that the basic aim of these agreements was to protect citizens and entrepreneurs from double payments of tax.
As for the coronavirus crisis, Maric said that everything was under control.
"We are rational, we are implementing measures, we are endeavouring to react in time and adequately. There are a lot of challenges, some activities are still affected and measures have continued for some sectors. We all need a healthy and positive climate, without irrational and unrealistic promises and we all need to act together," he said.
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Brodotrogir Workers Protest Over Unpaid Wages
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - About 20 workers of B.T.HULL, which operates as part of the Brodotrogir group, demonstrated outside the shipyard in Trogir on Friday, demanding their wages, after which management offered that they work for Brodotrogir Cruise.
Workers told reporters they wanted to work and that if there was no work, for the shipyard to file for bankruptcy so that they would get severance packages.
After meeting with workers' representatives, Brodotrogir director Mateo Tramontana said workers did not receive the past two monthly wages, and that today they would receive compensation from the agency for the protection of workers' receivables for June and next week for July.
He said 54 workers were asked to come to work for Brodotrogir Cruise given that B.T.HULL had no work.
Unionist Sinisa Kosic said B.T.HULL workers did not have a collective agreement, that their wages were significantly slashed so they would have smaller claims in case of bankruptcy.
He said the Metalworkers Union asked that workers, about 80, receive a minimum pay of HRK 3,250 from the agency for the protection of workers' receivables and that the first amount would be paid today.
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Agreement Signed to Upgrade Rijeka Port Infrastructure
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - An agreement for the performance of work under the project "Upgrade of the Rijeka Port Infrastructure - Rijeka Basin" was signed in the northern Adriatic city on Friday.
The agreement is worth HRK 268 million, of which 85% will be co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility. It was signed by the chairman of the Port of Rijeka management board, Dusko Grabovac, and the CEO of the Kolektor Koling company, Tine Vadnal.
The agreement provides for the reconstruction of 109,420 square metres of road surface, 12,161 metres of railway and 1,625 metres of crane track. The work is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
The director of the Port Authority, Denis Vukorepa, said that seven projects, worth a total of €132.8 million, had been launched in the past year for the reconstruction and modernisation of the port, adding that the projects were co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility. He said that documentation was being prepared for new projects in the 2021-2027 period.
Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic, said that the project showed the importance of EU funding, noting that without co-financing from EU funds it would not be possible to increase the competitiveness and strengthen the port of Rijeka. He said that it was important to properly prepare and implement the projects that would be financed from the fund in which €22 billion has been set aside for Croatia. "It will be the biggest test for this government," the minister said.
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Police to Once Again Conduct Special Traffic Programme for Start of School Year
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - As the new school year is about to start, the police will once again conduct a special traffic programme to protect children which has been ongoing since 1995 and has resulted in significantly fewer deaths and injuries to children on Croatian roads.
Regardless of the positive trend, in the past ten years 66 children were killed in traffic and another 10,172 were injured, the Interior Ministry said on Friday.
Nevertheless, it is worrying that fifteen years ago most child victims were pedestrians while now they are passengers in vehicles while riding with their parents, even though these are the people they should be safest with.
The number of children killed in traffic has decreased by 40 percent, which in numbers means that this year three children were killed compared to five children in the same period last year. However, 3.4% more children were seriously injured in traffic while those sustaining mild injuries decreased by 24.8%. Most of these incidents involved children as passengers in cars.
The police appeal to parents to ensure that all children have their seat belts fastened in cars.
40,000 new participants in traffic
This year there will be about 40,000 children starting school, which means that many more participants in traffic, and the police, together with local authorities, will conduct special checks of roads and traffic signs in the vicinity of schools as well as stepping up speed checks.
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Minister Says Epidemiological Measures Stopped Spread of COVID in Prisons
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - The situation in Croatian prisons is good and epidemiological measures have prevented the spread of coronavirus, Justice and Public Administration Minister Ivan Malenica said in parliament on Friday during a debate on a bill on the execution of prison sentences.
He said two prisoners had been positive for the virus but they did not infect fellow prisoners.
There has been a "relatively small number of incident situations" in Croatian prisons when taking into consideration that over 12,000 prisoners pass through them annually, he said, adding that it was necessary to continue to work on the professionalisation of prison staff.
MPs said conditions in some prisons were bad and that convicts were not treated equally due to delays in serving their sentences.
Vili Matula of the green-left bloc asked how the manipulation of rules would be stopped. "(Tomo) Horvatincic is drinking coffee in Samobor, while saying that he is not going to prison because of grave illnesses."
Davor Dretar of the Homeland Movement said there was a "privileged caste who start feeling ill as soon as a final sentence strikes them." He also mentioned missing memory cards and escapes to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and said this party would not endorse the bill.
Misel Jaksic of the Social Democrats said changes in prisons alone would not change the judicial system and that it cannot be said that tis is working as long as there are cases like Zdravko Mamic and Horvatincic.
Zeljko Sacic of the Sovereignits praised corrections officers for doing a complex and tough job, calling for improvement of their status and of the conditions for visiting prisoners.
Veljko Kajtazi of the ethnic minorities group said conditions in prisons had improved over the past ten years but that there was s shortage of corrections officers and that some prisons were overcrowded and had poor sanitary conditions.
Presenting the bill, Minister Malenica said it ensured the equal status of all prisoners, raised the security of correctional institutions, improved the conditions of serving sentences, reduced costs in the long term and dealt with overcrowding.
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COVID-19 Predictions in Croatia by IHME: Over 1,000 Deaths by January
September 4, 2020 - The Independent Institute of Health Metrics and Assessments (IHME) in Washington has published the latest COVID-19 predictions in Croatia, which are quite grim.
Slobodna Dalmacija reports that the current death toll from COVID-19 in Croatia is 194, and IHME predicts that there will be 225 deaths in Croatia by October 1, 2002.
In compliance with the current epidemiological measures or if they are mitigated, they expect that by January 1, 2021, an average of 52 infected people will die daily in Croatia. By the same date, they predict that there will be 1,267 deaths in the country.
The model also envisages a situation in which everyone would adhere to the mandatory measure of wearing masks in public, and that in that case, there would be 230 deaths in Croatia by January 230.
They also calculated that we would need almost 2,000 hospital beds for the patients at the beginning of next year and as many as 493 ventilators.
The projections are made according to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and are subject to change depending on the epidemiological situation in the country.
Although this scenario seems very pessimistic, let us hope that IHME may have overestimated the death toll this time as it happened in their previous projection.
Namely, the institute has already corrected their projections for Croatia this summer.
Thus, in the first wave of the pandemic, they estimated that Croatia would have about 166 deaths, or about sixty more than actually died.
Shortly afterward, they corrected the projections and predicted that there could be 122 COVID-19 deaths by early October. The calculation model was changed after Nenad Bakic objected to the institute, and was supported by Nobel laureate Michael Levitt.
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Croatia Registers 334 New Cases of Covid-19, One More Death
ZAGREB, September 4, 2020 - In the past 24 hours, 334 new cases of the coronavirus were registered in Croatia, bringing the number of active cases to 2,703, and one person died, the national Covid response team said on Friday.
Of the 334 latest cases, 283 are in hospital treatment, 15 of whom are on ventilators.
Since 25 February when the first case was registered in Croatia, there have been a total of 11,428 persons infected with the virus, 195 of whom have died and 8,530 recovered.
Currently, 9,042 people are in self-isolation.
To date a total of 183,912 people have been tested for the virus, 4,047 of whom in the past 24 hours, the response team said.
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