March 28, 2022 - The Croatia camp in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup has been chosen by the Croatian Football Federation. 

The Croatian Football Federation delegation visited the Dusit Hotel and the Al Gharafa Training Center, which are the first option for the Croatia national team base camp during the FIFA World Cup, held in Qatar at the end of the year, reports HNS.

Last July, the Federation's technical delegation visited a dozen potential base camps offered by FIFA in its catalog, each consisting of a hotel and a connected training center. After a detailed report to President Marijan Kustić, the leadership of the Federation and the expert staff headed by coach Zlatko Dalić chose the Dusit Hotel and Al Gharafa Training Center as its first option in Fifa's camp reservation system.

The friendly tournament in Doha was used for another visit to the hotel and training center, and the Federation was once again convinced of the excellent conditions provided by the hotel and training center. Even though several other national teams are waiting in line for the mentioned base camp, HNS has the right to "buy first" or sign a contract until June this year.

"We have moved away from our activities so far, and we looked at the camps before placing in the big competition because we are not superstitious and believe in our team. This allowed us to choose one of the better hotels and camps and now we are convinced that we made the best choice. We must provide the national team with the best conditions, and that is why I am proud of the quality logistics and administration we have in the Federation. Ultimately, it is only appropriate that the World Cup finalists have one of the best camps in Doha," said the president of the Federation, Marijan Kustić.

“I have complete confidence in our logistics, from team manager Iva Olivari onwards, and as we have always had great hotels and grounds, I am sure it will be the same in Doha. Staying here was great for us to acclimatize and get acquainted with the conditions that await us at the World Cup, and it is good that we resolved the issue of the base camp in time not to think about it at the last minute. Thanks to President Kustić and the Federation's leadership for giving maximum support to the national team in all matters, including the choice of base camp," said the selector Zlatko Dalić.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

March 17, 2022 - A regular session of the Croatian Football Federation Assembly was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb, chaired by HNS President Marijan Kustić.

President Kustić addressed the Assembly with a speech, as reported by HNS.

“Dear members of the Assembly, dear friends, thank you for coming to today's Assembly, where the main topic is the report on the work in 2021, which was great for the Croatian Football Federation. But I believe that the current year will be even more successful, even better, and even richer with top sports and business results. I believe that we all agree that the agreement on the sale of TV rights is a historically important step forward for Croatian football and our clubs. I want to thank Hrvatski Telekom and Supersport for their trust. I am convinced of the very successful cooperation through which we will further strengthen our First League and other competitions in terms of commercial, marketing, and PR. The agreed 44 million euros in four years will be a significant contribution to the budgets of our clubs and will ensure the further development of football in the country," said Kustić, among other things.

Drago Sopta / HNS

You can read the entire speech of the president of HNS, Marijan Kustić, here.

The President of the Verification Commission, Dubravko Galović, submitted a report in which it was established that 68 deputies were present at the session, with 11 absent.

The assembly members then adopted the report of the verification commission, the proposed agenda, and the minutes from the last session.

Drago Sopta / HNS

The members of the Assembly adopted the final account for 2021, which was presented by the Head of the Department of Finance and Accounting, Ružica Bajrić. Revenues of HRK 286,510,776.64 and expenditures in the amount of HRK 260,107,490.26 were realized, i.e., a surplus of revenues over expenditures of HRK 26,403,286.38. The largest revenues were generated from the following activities: revenues from the participation of the A national team in the European Championship, revenues from marketing, TV rights, tickets, and equipment. On the other hand, the biggest expenses are related to the association's activities, i.e., the organization of matches of all national teams, development and promotion, football, expenses for employees, depreciation, donations, and other expenses.

John Gašparac summarized the main points from the audit report.

"In our opinion, the financial reports fairly presented the financial position of the HNS and its financial performance, following the Law," Gašparac said.

Drago Sopta / HNS

The General Assembly Secretary-General Siniša Krajač, Director of the Sports Directorate at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Krešimir Šamija, UEFA Hattrick Program Manager, Denis Bastari, and HNS Honorary President, Branko Mikša, increased the Assembly session.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

February 22, 2022 - The Croatian Football Federation has secured 44 million euros for Croatian football TV and media rights over the next four competition years.

At Monday's session, the Croatian Football Federation Executive Board decided on selecting partners for television and media rights for competitions under the auspices of HNS for the next four competition years, reports the HNS website. 

After terminating the contract with Endorphin Magine, the HNS management held meetings with companies interested in buying TV and media rights, followed by three official offers to purchase TV rights - A1 Croatia, Hrvatski Telekom, Sportklub and AB SportConsulting. At the same time, the SuperSport offer for media rights arrived.

At the session, the HNS Executive Board considered the three received offers and chose Hrvatski Telekom, which was the most generous of 9 million euros per year. Thus, in the four years that the contract is expected to last, Hrvatski Telekom will pay 36 million euros to HNS for the associated TV rights.

In addition, the SuperSport offer for media rights of 1.5 million euros per competition year for sponsorship rights and 500,000 euros per competition year for betting rights was accepted.

In total, HNS has secured 44 million euros for television and media rights over the next four years.

"As we announced last week, we quickly found the best solution for Croatian clubs and Croatian football as a whole. Negotiations with interested companies showed great interest in Croatian club football and accepted offers from HT and SuperSport best confirm this great value.

We are glad to continue our cooperation with Hrvatski Telekom, which has been a great partner of Croatian football for many years, so we do not doubt that this cooperation will be very successful. This is an unprecedented step forward for the Federation and our clubs, and I am convinced that these 44 million euros will ensure further progress in the First League and all other competitions," said HNS President Marijan Kustić.

An agreement has also been made between Hrvatski Telekom and HRT, according to which one match of each round will be broadcast on national television.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

February 13, 2022 - The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) and Croatian Sports Museum in Zagreb will work together to preserve Croatian sports heritage.

The Croatian Football Federation has decided to cooperate with the Croatian Sports Museum to bring awareness to the importance of preserving sports memories and athletes who contribute to Croatian sports heritage daily. As a result, the two organizations have concluded an Agreement on Cooperation in Preserving Sports Heritage. This agreement, which will serve as a basis for future cooperation, ensures the preservation of Croatian sports heritage in the Museum today and for all future generations, reports HNS.

With this Agreement, the Croatian Sports Museum will be richer for a part of the valuable legacy of Croatian football. With its glorious history and significant achievements, it is inscribed in golden letters in the history of Croatian sport. In this context, the Museum in the near future will be able to boast of valuable exhibitions of the Croatian Football Federation, such as historical medals of the A national team, essential publications, books, brochures, tickets, calendars, jerseys, photographs, and souvenirs.

The Croatian Sports Museum bases its activities on the educational and cohesive potentials of sports and strives to present the history and social significance of sports in Croatian society to the general public in a modern, educational, and scientifically based way.

The Croatian Sports Museum idea was born between 1952 and 1959 when the first sports and physical exercise items were collected. In 1965, the Initiative to establish a Museum of Physical Culture of Croatia was established. Ten years later, the Croatian Museum Council entered the Museum of Physical Culture of Croatia into the list of museum institutions of Croatia. However, establishing the Croatian Sports Museum was not adopted by the Croatian Government until 2003, after which the Croatian Sports Museum became a national museum.

Today, the Croatian Sports Museum is located on Illica 13 in Zagreb. Danira Nakić Bilić was named the new director of the museum in 2017.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

February 4, 2022 - Zlatko Dalić spoke to Nova TV after the friendly tournament in Doha was announced, saying he will experiment with a Croatia formation change, namely three players in the back. 

The Croatian Football Federation has agreed to represent the Croatia national team in a friendly tournament that will be played in Qatar in March, during which Croatia will play two matches. Namely, Croatia will play Slovenia on March 26, and Bulgaria three days later. In an interview with Nova TV, coach Zlatko Dalić commented on the national team preparations ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

"My wish was to go to Qatar, to prepare for what awaits us, what is to come in November, to get to know the climate, the terrain, and the ambiance. I am very pleased with this preparatory tour, these matches. They are not extra-quality opponents, but they are certainly good for us at the moment. We expect two really good games. We expect, of course, two wins and good play."

Dalić was asked if Croatia would try to play in a system with three players in the back. "Well, we're going to try to do something about it. We're going to have eight days now to try that. And that is in our plan."

Dalić desires to work on teamwork: "We want to spend those eight days in Qatar as one big team building event, to support each other. So far, every time we gathered, there was a lot of pressure, the imperative of a victory. This time, it is also imperative to win, but it will be a little more relaxed and supportive. We want these new players, and there are several of them, to get better acquainted with the national team and to create a new community."

Recall, the matches will be played at the stadiums in Doha, where the FIFA World Cup will be played. The exact timetables and stadiums will be defined later, and HNS will inform fans promptly about ticket sales. 

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

February 2, 2022 - The Croatia national team will participate in a Doha friendly tournament next month as preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar this December. 

The Croatian Football Federation management has agreed that the Croatia national team will play a friendly tournament in Qatar in March. Croatia will play two matches in Doha, reports HNS.

Croatia will face Slovenia on March 26 and will play Bulgaria three days later. The national team of Qatar will also play in the tournament, against Bulgaria (March 26) and Slovenia (March 29). The matches will be played at the stadiums in Doha where the FIFA World Cup matches will be played. The exact timetables and stadiums will be defined later, and HNS will inform fans in a timely manner about the possibilities of buying tickets.

"We wanted to play in Doha in March, so I thank the leadership of the Federation for agreeing to participate in this tournament - it will be a great opportunity to get to know Qatar and feel the conditions that await us - climate, infrastructure, culture.

I think the opponents are tailor-made, two quality teams that will be a good test for what awaits us next. First of all, we are looking forward to the gathering, to continue to build a community that will be key to success in the competitions that await us later in the year," said the Croatia national team coach, Zlatko Dalić.

"We are glad that we have reached an agreement on participating in this tournament in Doha, given the desire of the coach Dalić and the national team to play in Qatar, so that we can acclimatize to everything that awaits us at the end of the year. The most important thing is that our direct placement in Qatar has enabled us a peaceful year in which we can prepare well for the World Cup, and participating in this tournament will be an important step in that direction," said HNS President Marijan Kustić.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 19, 2022 - The Croatian Football Federation announced on its official website that it would host a UEFA Executive Board session on Hvar in September this year.

The session could be critical in the context of the fight with FIFA over the biennial World Cup and the latest preparations for the World Cup in Qatar, which will be held from November 21 to December 18, 2022.

The leadership of the Croatian Football Federation has expressed interest in hosting a session of the Executive Board, and the Federation's headquarters confirmed that UEFA accepts the proposal. Accordingly, the UEFA session will be held on September 21 in Hvar.

"We look forward to holding this session in Croatia and have the opportunity to explore your beautiful country further," reads a letter signed by UEFA Secretary-General Theodore Theodoridis, quoted by the HNS website.

"I thank President Alexander Čeferin and the UEFA leadership for the great trust they have shown us. We are pleased with this decision because it confirms the excellent status that HNS enjoys in UEFA, and I am convinced that we will once again prove ourselves as excellent hosts and capable organizers of such events," said HNS President Marijan Kustić.

The UEFA Executive Board last met in Croatia in 2013, when the session was hosted in Dubrovnik.

Gol.hr reports that HNS president Marijan Kustić and his right-hand man and Čeferin's legal colleague Tomislav Svetina certainly did not accidentally throw Hvar on the table, which is an elite destination of Croatian tourism. Still, there is another important point in the whole story.

Well-known Slovenian lawyer and since September 2016 the leader of European football, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, will combine business and pleasure on Hvar. 

Namely, Čeferin has been spending his summers on Hvar for many years. Moreover, he has a house in the small town of Zavala, approximately in the central part of the sunniest Croatian island, and on the south side.

Hvar locals already know him well. Čeferin has a beautifully decorated house about 200 meters from the sea, and tall palm trees were brought by truck and planted in the garden. From the home terrace, there is a fantastic view of the open sea, and in the immediate vicinity is a small vineyard that completes the experience.

The UEFA Executive Board has 20 members, among them the former president of the HNS and still the top scorer of the Croatia national team - Davor Šuker.

Among the most famous people in the Croatian public are Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, a legend of German football and Bayern, and the president of PSG Nasser Al-Khelaifi. Both are members of the UEFA IO as representatives of the European Club Association (ECA), while the famous Spaniard Javier Tebas represents the Europa League (EL).

All major football nations have their representatives among the members of the IO. Sixteen of them are elected by the UEFA Congress, two representatives are given by the ECA and one by the EL, and the UEFA President has a seat on the IO by the logic of things.

Gol.hr assumes that Dejan Savičević, President of the Montenegrin Football Federation and one of the six UEFA envoys to the FIFA Council, will also attend the session.

As the UEFA President can invite third parties to attend UEFA Executive Board meetings in an advisory capacity, we expect other well-known football names.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

January 10, 2022 - HNS joins the technological revolution in international football. In cooperation with two Croatian companies - AMPnet and Biznisport - the Croatian Football Federation introduces the loyalty Vatreni crypto token and mobile application.

HNS will thus give millions of loyal Croatia fans more opportunities to interact with players, participate in HNS decisions, and other opportunities that will be exclusively available only to owners of the Vatreni crypto token, writes the Croatian Football Federation. 

"By stepping into the crypto market, we are following global trends, and we want to connect even better with our fans and provide them with opportunities they have not had before. I am especially proud to work with Croatian companies in this project because we believe that Croatian knowledge in IT is absolutely competitive and that we get partners who are equally committed to cooperation like us," said the president of HNS Marijan Kustić.

The official crypto partner of HNS is the Croatian company AMPnet, which provides its technology exclusively for tokens.

"Thank you, HNS, for your cooperation and shared desire to provide all fans of the Croatia national football team with an even better experience with the Vatreni loyalty token. With the support of HNS and the integration of AMPnet technology and Biznisport partners, we will be able to participate in making certain decisions, the right of priority when buying tickets, and discounts with HNS partners.

They will also have the opportunity to win, earn or buy exclusive products not available elsewhere. In addition, the token owner will be able to use the token for payment because it is compatible with Electrocoin's Paycheck application, which allows cryptocurrency payments in more than 200 places, such as Konzum, Ferivi, Ulaznice.hr, Football Mania, Sancta Domenica, Hrvatska pošta and others," said AMPnet CEO Mislav Javor.

The pre-sale of a limited number of Vatreni loyalty tokens is not yet available to everyone. All those interested in buying the token can get more information and apply for the waiting list here: https://token.hns-cff.hr 

Important note:

Vatreni crypto token is, by its nature, a cryptocurrency. Investing in cryptocurrencies is extremely risky and should not be undertaken by anyone who does not have enough knowledge. The cryptocurrency market is only partially regulated, so potential investors cannot count on all forms of protection available to them in the traditional financial market. If you do not master the matter so that you know how to receive cryptocurrencies on a digital wallet and keep them safe, do not indulge in investing in cryptocurrencies.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.  

January 2, 2022 - Will Croatia win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar? One British psychic who predicted Brexit, Boris Johnson's victory, and juicy Royal Family news seems to think so. 

As we welcome a new year, football fans can hardly stop thinking about just how busy this calendar year is for their beloved sport, and they can't help but predict what they think will happen in 2022.

Gol.hr reports that one interesting forecast has been made by the British psychic Jemima Packington, better known under the working name Mystic Veg, who predicts the future with the help of asparagus. Yes, you heard that right.

"Croatia will be the world champion in football, and the World Cup in Qatar will be shrouded in controversy," pointed out the British psychic.

The British tabloid Mirror claims that Mystic Veg successfully predicted Brexit, Boris Johnson's victory in the parliamentary elections, Harry and Meghan's departure from the royal family, and many other events.

"I accurately predict 75 to 90% of things. I've been told that my predictions this year are among the most controversial, but I'm just following what the asparagus tells me," says Mystic Veg.

Whether or not Mystic Veg is correct remains to be seen, as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar takes place this winter, from November 21 to December 18. Croatia's World Cup group rivals will not be revealed until April this year. Nevertheless, Croatia should be in the second strongest hat. 

But even before the World Cup, Croatia will compete in the UEFA Nations League against France, Denmark, and Austria, in an intense schedule that hosts four games in June and two in September this year. 

Croatia will also begin preparing for the busy year ahead with two friendly matches in March. We will find out if Mystic Veg is correct about the World Cup in precisely 349 days, or 11 months and 15 days.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

December 17, 2021 - The UEFA Nation's League Group 1 schedule has been announced. Croatia will open the competition with home games against Austria and France next June. 

The European Football Federation (UEFA) has announced the Nations League Group 1 schedule, which features the national teams of Croatia, France, Denmark, and Austria.

"We are in the elite group and every opponent is tough, but I can say that the draw was not bad. It seems to me that it will be easier than the first two years and I expect, of course, good results. I was expecting Italy, but we got France from the strongest hat. There is no way we can avoid them and I guess we have to play until we beat them. Austria and Denmark are national teams we can play with," was how Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić reacted to the draw held on Friday. 

"The Nations League is always important, but it has caused me problems in the past because we were not successful. Now I expect better games and to present ourselves properly. There will be good matches, the group is great and everything will be great preparation for the World Cup in Qatar," concluded Dalić.

Croatia will open the competition in June next year with home games against Austria (June 3) and France (June 6). This will be followed by away matches against Denmark (June 10) and France (June 13). Croatia will play at home against Denmark on September 22 and visit Austria on September 25 to close out the group stage. 

The cities hosting the group matches will be announced at a late date.

SCHEDULE

June 3, 2022: Croatia - Austria

June 6, 2022: Croatia - France

June 10, 2022: Denmark - Croatia

June 13, 2022: France - Croatia

September 22, 2022: Croatia - Denmark

September 25, 2022: Austria - Croatia

It is not yet known how this Nations League season will affect the qualifications for Euro 2024. UEFA has said that this has not yet been decided.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.