March 15, 2022 - The Dinamo 2021 financial report was released before the Eternal Derby against Hajduk last weekend, with nearly record-breaking revenues. 

Last weekend, Dinamo published its annual financial report ahead of the derby against Hajduk. As all eyes were on Poljud, this news went under the radar -  but the figures are interesting, even historical, reports Gol.hr.

Namely, for the first time, Dinamo's expenses broke through 60 million euros; more precisely, they reached 62.4 million euros (472,631,751 kuna).

Revenues amounted to 478,998,976 kuna, so Dinamo in 2021 ended up with a surplus of around 6.3 million kuna. 

These figures are spectacular for Croatian conditions. While the revenues are not record-breaking, they are not far from the record.

Dinamo earned more in 2016, or 492,723,273 kuna, but only 389,075,780 kuna was spent. In principle, this is the only year in which a larger amount was saved, but even those hundred million kuna "surplus" went to waste the following year, when the minus was 113 million kuna.

In 2020, the revenues of the Maksimir Club amounted to 381,940,537 kuna and expenditures to 379,132,303 kuna. However, in April of the same year, the pandemic resulted in the termination of cooperation with Nenad Bjelica and a reduction in the salaries of Dinamo players. The reason given was savings due to financial problems caused by the pandemic. Then, the policy of permanent cost-cutting was announced.

However, in the end, it turned out that Dinamo spent about 13 million kuna more in that year than the previous one when there was no pandemic. That information was published at an Assembly without the presence of the media.

It is pretty clear that Dinamo earned a hundred million kuna more than the previous year, made several lucrative transfers, and went far in the Europa League. Still, it is unclear how there was such a sharp turn and change of course in light of the announced cost-cutting policy. 

Most of the increase in spending went to players' salaries and the working community. About 35 million more was spent on this segment than the previous year.

The total amount to salaries is 300,780,887 kuna or about 40 million euros. If we assume that most of the amount goes to the player's wages, at least three quarters, including both the first and second team players on payroll, it turns out that the average is more than half a million euros a year per player.

Since it is easy to assume that most go to the first team from the cost of players' salaries, it can be concluded that the average is well over half a million euros per player. Gol.hr reveals that their sources say that the highest-paid is Mislav Oršić, who has a salary of one million euros net per year according to the new contract.

Premiums and bonuses need to be added. When everything is added up, Oršić does not earn significantly less in Dinamo than he would earn in Burnley, which wanted to bring him in the last winter transfer window. According to Gol's sources, he would have a salary of around 1.3 million euros at that English club.

It turns out that the smallest part of Dinamo's expenses goes to compensation for reinforcements. Dinamo has spent 5.4 million euros on incoming transfers from July 1, which is when transfers for this season are calculated. Last season, until June 30, 2021, Dinamo spent 12.4 million euros on new reinforcements.

It will be interesting to see last year's financial reports for the remaining top members of Croatian football. Dinamo regularly had a bigger budget than Osijek, Hajduk, and Rijeka combined in previous years.

For example, in 2020, Osijek had total expenditures of around 115 million kuna, of which about 40 million kuna went to players' salaries. 

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

February 28, 2022 - Finally, some good news, as full capacity at Croatian stadiums returns, especially delighting fans of Croatian football and the Croatian First League. 

Interior Minister and Chief of the Civil Protection Headquarters Davor Božinović announced six new decisions on Monday, including one that will especially delight all fans of Croatian football and the Croatian First League, reports Gol.hr.

As of Tuesday, March 1, the epidemiological measure that clubs could allow only 40 percent capacity at each of the stands at their stadiums will be abolished.

There is no longer any limitation on the number of spectators for outdoor competitions. However, for indoor competitions, 50 percent of the stands are allowed to be filled instead of 20 percent, as has been the case so far. This decision had been in force since January this year.

What hasn’t changed is that an EU Covid-certificate will have to be shown when entering the stadium, in digital or paper form.

The capacity restriction has negatively affected the attendance of the Croatian football clubs. With capacity restrictions, Hajduk sold out the championship matches against Slaven Belupo and Rijeka, Osijek welcomed Dinamo with the maximum possible capacity last weekend, and Dinamo played their Europa League match against Sevilla last week under the same conditions. 

The weekend behind us brought two big derbies between clubs from the top of Croatian football. Hajduk hosted Rijeka, and Osijek hosted Dinamo according to the current rules and restrictions of 40 percent. 

The first match that could be played in front of full stands will be the big derby between Hajduk - Dinamo, which will be played on Saturday, February 12, as part of the 27th round.

Given the great interest in Croatian First League matches, where four clubs are fighting for the title of national champion, there should be a significant increase in visitors for the upcoming games at stadiums across the country.

To read more about sport 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. 

December 28, 2021 - The Guardian, which has been making a list of the 100 best footballers of the year since 2012, recently published its ranking for 2021. Two Croatian players made the list. Find out who they are and where they rank.

Since 2012, The Guardian publishes a list of the 100 players who stood out the most in the year. The collective achievements with both their clubs and national teams, as well as their individual performance, are decisive factors in assembling the ranking. In 2021, two Croatian players have been included in the top 100 footballers of the year: Luka Modrić and Marcelo Brozović. You can check the full list here.

Despite the fact that the Croatian national team failed to repeat in EURO 2020 what they achieved in the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, they managed to secure their ticket to the next World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. In this way, Croatia finishes in 15th place in the last FIFA ranking of the year, being 11th in Europe.

But 2021 was, despite everything, a year of very good results for Croatian players around the continent. For example, Mateo Kovačić managed to lift his fourth Champions League, his first with Chelsea FC. However, the two Croatian players on The Guardian's list were Real Madrid's Luka Modrić and Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozović.

Photo: Davor Javorovic/PIXSELL

The historic captain of the Croatian national team continues to defend the Real Madrid crest with the same energy and passion as in the past decade, despite his 36 years. Years pass and the Zadar-born footballer continues to own his position in the white midfield, well ahead of young footballers who have come to the club in recent years such as Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard, or Dani Ceballos. Luka is ranked 40th on the list, and The Guardian writes the following about his inclusion:

‘‘Ah, Luka, don’t ever go. At the start of last season it looked like he might, like time had finally caught up with him, like Madrid’s midfield was about to be renewed, and that was reflected in this list: he was 71st. But then he returned to the heart of everything good and this season he has been superb. Up 31 places – and he could be even further up than that. Aged 36, he’s still better than the rest. Just don’t say the word rest to him. “I feel happier when I’m playing,” he says.’’

Indeed, Luka did not get any title with Real Madrid at the end of the 2020/21 season, but he was chosen as the Player of the Season by the club and the fans. Likewise, in the course of this season (which is also taken into account when drawing up the list at the end of the year), Luka has been decisive in placing Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, much less in front of their eternal rivals, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona. For his teammates, Luka continues to play as a promising youngster and that is, in addition to motivating, important for the team's performance both in attack and defense.

Marcelo Brozović is the second national representative on the list of the 100 best footballers in 2021. The 29-year-old Zagreb-born midfielder won the Serie A title with his club, Inter Milan, thus breaking the dominance of his eternal rivals, Juventus, who had just won 9 Scudettos in a row. Brozović was in fact one of the determining players in Antonio Conte's team, along with Nicolo Barella in midfield, and Lautaro Martínez and Romelu Lukaku in attack, all of them also included among the 100 best footballers of the year.

''Brozo'' arrived on the neroazzurro team in 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb, and it has been the passage of time that has managed to forge his maturity as a footballer. Thus, the midfielder has gone from being a discreet player to one of the most notorious for his involvement both in defensive work, as well as when providing assists to his teammates and even scoring goals on his own.

About Brozovic, who was ranked 81st on the list, The Guardian wrote:

‘‘Antonio Conte defined Brozović as “the darling of the [Inter] team” that won the Scudetto for the first time since 2010. Even in a side that prided themselves on hard graft, the Croatian pushed himself further than the rest – covering more distance per game than any other player in Serie A last season. Yet Brozovic is much more than a domestique peddling away anonymously so that teammates can shine. His vision and incisive passing were fundamental to Inter’s fast-break approach under Conte, and remain so now that Simone Inzaghi is adapting the Nerazzurri to a more possession-focused approach.’’

Marcelo Brozović continues to be decisive in the functioning of the Italian team, and this is how they are currently positioned at the top of the Serie A table. Inter is currently working on the renewal of the Croatian midfielder's contract, as they consider him as a fundamental piece of the neroazzurro project. It should be noted that the two Croatian players faced each other in the group stage of the Champions League, and both made it to the round of 16.

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

October 25, 2021 - In less than three weeks we will know if Vatreni will qualify directly for the next World Cup in Qatar. For the decisive matches against Malta and Russia, Zlatko Dalic counts on his players to arrive in good form. We review the activity of Croatian footballers in their respective clubs.

The coach of the Croatian national team, Zlatko Dalić, released today the list of Croatian footballers who will face Malta and Russia in the last two group matches, to define the qualification for the Qatar World Cup in 2022. With less than three weeks to go, we review the performance of Croatian footballers in their respective clubs this week which, overall, has been very good. The vast majority played matches in European tournaments and, over the weekend, in their respective domestic leagues. So, how did Croatian footballers perform this week with their clubs?

IN CROATIA

Dinamo Zagreb - Three Croatian footballers called up by Dalić played in Sunday's draw between Dinamo Zagreb and NK Istra. Dominik Livaković, the national team's starting goalkeeper, and Mislav Oršić were part of the starting line-up, while Luka Ivanušec entered for Marko Bulat in the 60th minute. Istra found the first goal of the match in the 79th minute, after a great team effort that was well defined by Croatian striker Dion Drena Beljo in a 1v1 game against Livaković. Soon after, however, Dinamo tied the game in the 84th minute. Luka Ivanušec's free-kick found Dino Perić's head and the defender beat the Istra goalkeeper to equalize. The final result was 1-1. Dinamo are in third place in the table in the Croatian First League, three points behind Rijeka and Osijek, but the team from the capital have two games less. On Thursday, Dinamo Zagreb faced Rapid Wien in Austria. The three players called up by Dalić were part of the starting eleven. The hosts took the lead with a goal from Gruell in the 9th minute, but Oršić scored the equalizer in the 24th minute with an assist from Ivanušec. Ten minutes later, Livaković would concede a goal again, for Rapid Wien's 1-2. In the second half the score did not move, and the final result was 1-2 for the home team. Dinamo Zagreb are second in Group H of the Europa League, six behind the leader, Nikola Vlašić's West Ham, and tied with 3 points with Rapid Wien and Genk.

24' GOOOOOOOOOOOOL! Rapid - Dinamo 1:1. Oršić ?⚽️???? #dinamozagreb #UEL pic.twitter.com/NORViBXEEN

— GNK Dinamo (@gnkdinamo) October 21, 2021

NK Osijek - On Saturday, Osijek faced NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac at home, and a Croatian player called up by Zlatko Dalić, Mile Škorić, played the match. The 30-year-old defender born in Vinkovci played the entire 90 minutes, and his team prevailed thanks to a goal scored by Croatian midfielder Žaper in the 71st minute, following a corner play. The final result was 1-0 for the home team, and Osijek are in second place in the table, tied on points with the leader, Rijeka.

Hajduk Split & Gorica - In the goalless draw between Hajduk Split and Gorica, played at Poljud, three Croatian footballers called up to be part of the national team played the entire match. For Hajduk, goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić and forward Marko Livaja, and for Gorica, left-winger Kristijan Lovrić. Neither could take all three points, and they had to settle for a draw. In this way, Hajduk is in fourth place in the table with 21 points in 12 games played, and Gorica with 18.

IN GERMANY

Josip Stanišić - On Wednesday, Stanišić entered in the 77th minute for Thomas Müller and then provided an assist for Sane's goal that sealed Bayern München's 4-0 win over Benfica in Group E in the Champions League. He was left on the bench on Saturday in the 4-0 win against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Bayern München are first in their Champions League group and in the Bundesliga table.

70' ⚽ 0-1
80' ⚽ 0-2
82' ⚽ 0-3
84' ⚽ 0-4

Goal cramming again ? pic.twitter.com/O6VpO4rQCr

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) October 20, 2021

Borna Sosa - In Stuttgart's second consecutive draw in the Bundesliga, this time at home, Borna Sosa played the 90 minutes against Union Berlin on Sunday. The left-back could not reverse the 1-1 result, where Borna's team managed to save a valuable point in the 93rd minute, with an agonizing goal from Faghir. Stuttgart are 13th in the Bundesliga with 10 points in 9 games played. 

Andrej Kramarić - The Croatian striker and historical top scorer for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, who also scored in Croatia's last draw against Slovakia in Osijek, played the entire game against Bundesliga leaders Bayern München, but could do little to prevent the defeat by 0-4 of his team. Hoffenheim are in the eleventh position on the table.

Joško Gvardiol - The 19-year-old defender started the game on the bench, where RB Leipzig visited Paris Saint-Germain for the third round of Group A of the Champions League on Tuesday. The German team managed to turn the result around, after an early goal from Kylian Mbappé. However, in the second half, two goals from Lionel Messi would put PSG ahead on the scoreboard again. In the 70th minute, after Messi's first goal and PSG's second to equalize, Gvardiol came in for Lukas Klostermann. In injury time, with the result favorable for the hosts, the Croatian defender fouled Achraf Hakimi in the Leipzig area, and the referee signaled a penalty. Kylian Mbappé missed it, but even so, the French team took all three points. In the Bundesliga, Gvardiol played the entire match in Leipzig's home win against Greuther Fuerth, 4-1. Leipzig are last in their Champions League group with zero points, and in the Bundesliga, they are in the sixth position in the table, three points from the Champions League zone.

Kristijan Jakić - The midfielder who plays for Frankfurt played the entire game against Greek team Olympiacos on Thursday, for the third round of Group D of the UEFA Europa League, where his team took a 3-1 victory at home. On Sunday, however, he couldn't do much to prevent his team's defeat against Bochum 0-2. The Croatian was part of the starting eleven but was changed at halftime when his team was losing 0-1. Eintracht Frankfurt are first in their group in the Europa League after a valuable victory over Olympiacos, who are behind by one point. In the Bundesliga, things are not going very well, since they are fifteenth in the table and only three points from relegation. Interestingly, the only game they have won this season was against Bayern München at the Allianz Arena, on October 3.

Marin Pongračić - The Croatian defender was part of Borussia Dortmund's starting eleven that played away against Arminia Bielefeld. The 24-year-old German-born defender played the entire match, as Dortmund prevailed 3 goals to 1. A mistake by Pongračić almost gave the hosts the lead, but his team reacted quickly on defense. The goals were scored by Emre Can in the 31st minute from the penalty spot, Mats Hummels made it 0-2 in the 45th minute with a spectacular volley, and England's Jude Bellingham scored an unforgettable goal to seal it 0-3 in the 72nd minute. At the end of the game, in the 87th minute, the home team would find the discount through a penalty converted by Klos, after a foul by Hummels. Borussia Dortmund, with this result, is in second place in the Bundesliga, just one point behind the powerful Bayern München.

IN FRANCE

Ivo Grbić - The 25-year-old Split-born goalkeeper played both games for his team, Lille, this week. On Wednesday, for the UEFA Champions League, his team hosted Sevilla of Spain. The Croatian goalkeeper did not concede goals, but his team was unable to score against Sevilla. The final result was 0-0. Croatian left-back Domagoj Bradarić was not on the list to face the Spanish. On Saturday, Grbić's team again drew back, but this time against Brest for France's Ligue 1, and with a 1-1 result. The Croatian defended his goal for 90 minutes, and despite the fact that Lille gained the advantage in the 19th minute thanks to a goal from David, Brest managed to get the equalizer in the 32nd minute, where Faivre beat the Croatian goalkeeper. Bradarić did not play the match and stayed on the bench. Lille are third in Group G of the Champions League, five points behind leaders FC Salzburg and one point behind second, Sevilla. In Ligue 1, they are in tenth place, four points behind the zone to qualify for the Champions League.

Duje Ćaleta-Car - The Croatian center-back was another of the Croatian footballers who played both games for his club this week, both in European competition and in his respective league. On Thursday, for the third round of Group E of the UEFA Europa League, his team, Olympique Marseille, faced Lazio in Rome. And on Sunday, Marseille hosted Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Vélodrome. Ćaleta-Car helped his team in both games to keep a clean sheet, but the Marseille forwards were unable to score against both Lazio and PSG. Thus, the Croatian central defender had to settle for two goalless draws this week. In the UEFA Europa League, Marseille are third in their group, one point behind Lazio and four behind the leaders, Galatasaray. In France's Ligue 1, the Ćaleta-Car team are fourth in the table with 18 points, one point behind Nice and three behind Lens. PSG leads the French tournament with 28 points.

Le retour du roc ??? ?? pic.twitter.com/b5cfTu2bz0

— Olympique de Marseille (@OM_Officiel) October 25, 2021

Lovro Majer - Despite not being called by Dalić for the upcoming games against Malta and Russia, the Croatian footballer is making sure to be noticed for the World Cup. The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder did not start in either of his team's two games this week. However, he knew how to take advantage of the minutes they gave him in both games. On Thursday, Rennes faced NŠ Mura in Slovenia for the third round of Group G of the UEFA Conference League. The French team took all three points after winning 1-2. Lovro Majer came in in the 63rd minute to replace Flavien Tait. The French team leads their group with 7 points, followed by Vitesse from the Netherlands with 6 points, and Tottenham from England with 4 points. His rivals this week are last with zero points. For France's Ligue 1, Rennes hosted Strasbourg on Sunday. In a match that seemed to find no winner, it was Rennes defender Aguerd who broke the tie in the 82nd minute with a great assist from Croatian footballer Lovro Majer, who had entered just four minutes earlier. Now his team is in fifth place in the table, tied on points with Marseille, but with one more game.

[#SRFCRCSA]

????? ?

??????̀?? ?? ??????? ???? ✅
??????̀?? ????? ??́' ✅ pic.twitter.com/Yt1RurkJZy

— Stade Rennais F.C. (@staderennais) October 25, 2021

IN ITALY

Marcelo Brozović & Ivan Perišić - On Tuesday, for the Champions League, the two Croatian footballers from Internazionale were chosen in the starting eleven, where they played the third match of Group D against the leaders, Sheriff FC. The team from Milan took all three points, after winning 3-1. In the 85th minute, with the result already sentenced, Simone Inzaghi gave rest to the two Croats. Brozović came out for Sensi, and Perišić for Kolarov. On Sunday, the "neroazurri" would face one of their greatest rivals, Juventus. Once again, Brozović and Perišić would be part of the starting eleven to face the "bianconeri" at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium. Inter took the lead in '17 with a goal from Edin Džeko. In the 72nd minute, shortly after receiving a yellow card, Perišić was replaced by Denzel Dumfries, who in the 86th minute caused a penalty after a foul on Alex Sandro. Paulo Dybala scored from twelve steps in '89 and saved a point for Juventus. Brozović played the entire match. Inter are third in their group in the Champions League with 4 points, and third in the Italian Serie A, with 18 points.

Mario Pašalić - Despite not winning his matches, both for the Champions League and Serie A, the Croatian midfielder did not have a bad week with Atalanta. In the third match of Group F in the Champions League, the Italian team faced Manchester United at Old Trafford. Surprisingly, the Bergamo team took the lead in the first half with a goal from Pašalić in the 15th minute. Demiral added another in the 29th minute to put Atalanta 0-2. Rashford put the discount on for the Red Devils shortly after starting the second half. In 57 ', Pašalić received a yellow card and was replaced in 68'. Shortly after, Maguire would score the equalizer and in the final minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo sealed the comeback. For Serie A, on Sunday, Atalanta hosted Udinese at the Gewiss Stadium. The end result was a 1-1 draw. The local team began winning in the 56th minute, with a goal from Malinovsky after an assist from Croatian Mario Pašalić, who was replaced again, this time in the 74th minute. Interestingly, Udinese's goal to tie the game would come almost to the end of the match, with the Croatian on the bench.

#ManUtdAtalanta | 0-1 | 15'

⚽ GOOOOOOOOOOL MARIOOOOOO PAŠALIIIIIIĆ!!!

Siamo in vantaggio!!!! We lead in Manchester!!!!

Powered by @play_eFootball#UCL #GoAtalantaGo ⚫? pic.twitter.com/rdmTUAEvIn

— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) October 20, 2021

Josip Brekalo - Torino FC, coached by Croatian Ivan Jurić, faced Genoa on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. Croatian midfielder Josip Brekalo played the entire match and performed well. His team led comfortably 2-0 after halftime, but a Mattia Destro goal put Genoa in search of an equalizer in the 70th minute. Seven minutes later, Brekalo scored the third for Torino to give the home side some tranquility. Despite Genoa scoring another goal in the 81st minute through Caicedo, it was not enough to equalize. Brekalo's team took all three points and is in 12th place in the table with 11 points.

JOSIP ???#TorinoGenoa#SFT pic.twitter.com/L6QQfxAJYB

— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) October 22, 2021

IN ENGLAND

Mateo Kovačić - On Wednesday, the reigning Champions League winners faced Sweden's Malmo in their third Group H match. In the London side's landslide 4-0 win, the Croatian midfielder had to watch the match from the bench. However, in Chelsea's game against Norwich City on Saturday, German coach Thomas Tuchel let Mateo play all 90 minutes of the game, and the Croatian did not disappoint. Chelsea swept Norwich in a bulky 7-0 victory. Kovačić was the owner of the midfield, in a great display of his level, assisting two of the seven goals. The Croatian has five assists and one goal in nine games played so far. Despite having a lot of competition in the midfield with players like Jorginho, Kanté or Saúl, the Croatian magician has all the confidence of his coach. Chelsea are second in their Champions League group, with 6 points, 3 behind Juventus. In the Premier League, they are the leaders with 22 points, followed by Liverpool and Manchester City, with 21 and 20 points respectively.

Kova appreciation post! ? pic.twitter.com/8cpA8SCFRu

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 23, 2021

Nikola Vlašić - Vlašić played 83 minutes in West Ham's 3-0 win over Genk for the third round of Group H in the Europa League, played in London. However, the Croatian midfielder did not play a minute in the ''Hammers'' win against Tottenham on Sunday. Moyes's team took all three points after beating their rivals in the city 1-0, with a goal from Michail Antonio in the 72nd minute. It has not been a good start for Nikola after joining the English team in the summer from CSKA Moscow, playing just 3 Premier League games, and so far he has been unable to score a goal or provide an assist. His team has won all their matches so far and ranks first in their group in the Europa League, and in the Premier League they are in the Champions League zone, in fourth place.

Simon Sluga - The 28-year-old Poreč-born goalkeeper played the entire game in the victory of his team, Luton Town, against Hull City for the Championship, the second division of English football. The goalkeeper did not concede a goal, and Luton Town won 1-0 at his stadium, Kenilworth Road. Sluga's team is in 5th place in the table, in the play-off zone, and 8 points away from the direct classification to the Premier League.

IN SPAIN

Luka Modrić - The captain of the Croatian team played both games this week for Real Madrid, both in the Champions League against Shakhtar, and in the long-awaited El Clásico on Sunday against his eternal rivals, Barcelona. By the third round of Group D, the ''whites'' crushed the Ukrainians in Kyiv, with a score of 0-5. Modrić was part of the starting eleven, and in the 51st minute, he assisted Vinicius Jr. for Real Madrid's 0-2. In the 78th minute, he was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga. On Sunday at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, the undisputed starter at Real Madrid for several seasons started in midfield alongside Toni Kroos and Casemiro. Real Madrid took the lead in the 32nd minute with a great shot from David Alaba at Ter Stegen's far post. In a match where both teams had their chances, both Real Madrid to extend their advantage and Barcelona to tie, it was the visitors who found the 0-2 thanks to a counterattack in which Lucas Vásquez calmly defined. Later, Sergio Agüero would find the discount for the Blaugranas, but there was no more time to save a point for the home team. Luka played the entire game and now his team is second in their Champions League group, tied with six points with the leaders, and second in La Liga, just one point behind the leaders, Real Sociedad, and with one less match.

?? @lukamodric10: 4⃣0⃣0⃣ matches for @realmadrid and counting!#ElClásico | #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/ACSp80d2dg

— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) October 24, 2021

IN SCOTLAND

Borna Barišić - The Glasgow Rangers left-back played both games for his team this week in the Europa League on Thursday, and for the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. Both matches resulted in victory for the Scottish team led by the legendary Steven Gerrard. Barišić played all 90 minutes in Rangers' 2-0 win against Danish team Brøndby. On Sunday they faced St. Mirren, and Barišić again played the entire match. Despite the fact that Rangers began losing very early with a goal 4 minutes into the game, the Croatian team needed only two minutes to turn the scoreboard. At the end of the first half, Roofe scored a penalty in 42 'and Morelos scored in 43'. There were no more goals, but it was enough to take all three points at the end of the match. In the Europa League, Rangers are in third place in Group A with 3 points, six points behind Lyon and one point behind Sparta Prague. In the Scottish Premiership, they are the leaders with 23 points.

Josip Juranović - Like Barišić, the former Dinamo Zagreb defender also enjoyed victories for his team in the Europa League and the Scottish Premiership, but with Borna's rival team Celtic. On Tuesday 19 they faced Ferencvaros, and despite the fact that Josip Juranović was not on the squad list, Celtic managed to take all three points with a comfortable 2-0 victory. On Saturday, however, Juranović played the entire game as a left-back, scoring his team's second and last goal from the penalty spot, against St. Johnstone. Celtic have 3 points in Group G of the Europa League, 4 points behind Leverkusen and Betis. In the Scottish Premiership, they are in fourth place but behind their eternal rivals, Rangers, 4 points apart.

JURANOVIC! ??#cinchPrem | #CELSTJ | #COYBIG ?

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 23, 2021

IN SWEDEN

Antonio-Mirko Čolak - Croatian forward Antonio-Mirko Čolak did play all 90 minutes for Malmö FF on this week's UEFA Champions League match but was unable to change the outcome of the match, in which his team was crushed 0-4 by Chelsea of England. On Sunday, for the Allsvenskan, his team visited Varbergs and managed to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw. Čolak played from the start until the 82nd minute, but couldn't put his name on the scoreboard. His team is last in their group in the Champions League, with zero points. In the Swedish league, Malmö is third, just one point behind the leader, Djurgaarden.

IN RUSSIA

Dejan Lovren - The Croatian defender played all 90 minutes for his team, Zenit St. Petersburg, both in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday against Juventus and against Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League on Sunday. Against the Italian giants, Lovren's team could not avoid a goal in the 86th minute scored by Dejan Kulusevski, and they were defeated 0-1 in Russia. That leaves them in third place in Group H, with 3 points, 6 behind Juventus and 3 behind Kovačić's Chelsea. But Lovren and his teammates turned the page of the Champions League, seeking revenge against Spartak Moscow, and crushed their rivals with a resounding 7-1 result. Lovren played the entire match, but could not contain the Quincy Promes discount for the visitors in the 53rd minute. The result places Zenit at the top of the Russian Premier League, with 26 points from 12 games played. They are followed by the other two teams from the Russian capital: Dinamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow, both with 3 points less.

7:1
0:5

Not bad today!

— Dejan Lovren (@Dejan06Lovren) October 24, 2021

Filip Uremović - The defender and captain of Rubin Kazan played the entire match between his team and FC Ufa, the hosts. The end result was a 1-1 draw. In the first half, defender Abildgaard fouled Golubev inside Rubin Kazan's box, and the referee signaled a penalty later scored by Ufa striker Golubev. But Uremović's team would find the equalizer in the second half, through an own goal scored by Zhuravlev, after a dangerous cross from Rubin Kazan midfielder Kvaratskhelia. With this tie, the Croatian defender's team is in ninth place in the table with 16 points from 12 games and 10 behind the leader, Dejan Lovren's Zenit.

Nikola Moro - The Dinamo Moscow midfielder scored in his team's 4-1 win over Khimki. Croatian footballer Nikola Moro opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a header, after a corner play in which he beat two defenders in the jump. His teammate Grulev scored twice (26 'and 60'), and Tyukavin scored the other in the 52nd minute. The game was played in the capital, and the locals were close to taking the three points with a great result and a clean sheet, but in the last minutes, the visitors scored the discount goal through their striker, Ademi. With this result, Dinamo Moscow stalks the leader, Zenit, with 23 points in 12 games played. They are separated by 3 points.

27’ ⚽️ ГОООООООООООООЛ! Груля удваивает счёт, снова с углового ?#ДинамоХимки 2:0 pic.twitter.com/bLdYnmHM56

— ФК «Динамо» Москва (@fcdynamo) October 22, 2021

IN TURKEY

Domagoj Vida - The Croatian defender and Besiktas captain played the entire match against Sporting Lisbon at Vodafone Park in Turkey for the third round of Group C of the UEFA Champions League. Vida couldn't avoid a painful 1-4 loss. The visiting team's center-back, Coates, scored the first goal of the game in the 15th minute on a corner play. Larin leveled things for Besiktas in the 24th minute also on a corner play, and it looked like the home side could regain hope of scoring their first Champions League points. However, the weight of the Portuguese team was felt and they scored two more goals in the first half, once again with a goal from their captain Coates in the 27th minute, very similar to the first, and after a hand from the Croatian in the area of ​​the Besiktas defending a corner, Sarabia converted the 1-3 from the penalty spot. For that play, the Croatian defender received a yellow card. Shortly after, Besiktas found the 2-3 through Teixeira with a magnificent volley at the end of the first half, but it would be annulled by VAR, who found it offside. Besiktas could not find a way to get closer on the scoreboard and even with Sporting, and in the 89th minute, the Portuguese scored the fourth and final goal. The Turkish team is last in their group with zero points in 3 games, losing all against Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, and on Tuesday against Sporting. Today he will play against Galatasaray in an intense duel for the Turkish SüperLig, where they are sixth with 17 points, 7 behind the leader Trabzonspor but with one game less (which they will play today).

The Croatian national team will face their Maltese counterparts in Ta 'Qali on November 11 at 8:45 p.m. And on November 14, at 3:00 p.m., Croatia will host the Russian national team at the Poljud to define the winner of Group H.

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September 9, 2021 - Great news for fans of the ''bijeli'' and the world's best-selling football simulator series, as the Croatian club announced that it will appear in the new edition of the popular EA Sports videogame, and now fans will be able to choose Hajduk Split to play with!

Hajduk Split announced yesterday on its social networks and official website that it will be an officially licensed team in the new edition of the best-selling football simulator in the world: FIFA 22. The announcement was surprising not only because of the inclusion of Hajduk itself, but because Croatian football, in general, has been underrepresented in the video game.

For instance, the last time the Croatian national team appeared in the EA Sports videogame was in 2012 (with the exception of the special editions of the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2018), despite the great growth and evolution not only of the team in the previous decade but also by its players in international and local tournaments. Likewise, the Croatian First League has never appeared in the video game.

When it comes to European football, the EA Sports videogame has officially licensed the main leagues on the continent such as the Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), the Bundesliga (Germany), the Ligue 1 (France), the Eredivisie (Netherlands) the Liga NOS (Portugal). Additionally, it includes European leagues such as those of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Finally, some European teams belonging to unlicensed leagues are in the Rest of the World category, and this is the case of teams such as CSKA Moscow (Russia), Dinamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Olympiacos (Greece), or Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic).

The official gameplay trailer for FIFA 22 was shared a month ago.

The only Croatian team present in the game is Dinamo Zagreb, which for a few years has been an eligible team in the Rest of the World category. Similarly, the EA Sports videogame is officially licensed by UEFA's main international tournaments, such as the Champions League, the Europa League, and the recently founded Conference League. For this reason, Dinamo Zagreb has maintained its validity in the game by participating in at least one of these tournaments.

Hajduk will then join Dinamo Zagreb in the latest edition of the EA Sports videogame, as officially licensed teams on the Rest of the World category. Being a FIFA licensed team means having, for example, real uniforms and their sponsors, as well as the squad and their names. Despite no official confirmation, the game will most likely not include the Stadion Poljud or the official faces of the players. The technology used to reproduce stadiums and faces is being used almost exclusively with clubs belonging to the major licensed leagues.

Something positive about the presence of Hajduk Split in the new EA Sports videogame is the possibility that players can hire Hajduk players in Career Mode, where they can manage and train a club by making signings and developing the most promising players. Thus, it will be possible to hire a promising youngster from Hajduk Split to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Manchester United and make him a star of the team. Unfortunately, Hajduk Split cannot be used in Career Mode, as only clubs belonging to a licensed league can be used in this mode.

On its official website, Hajduk Split announced the club's presence in the new EA Sports videogame in this way:

''FIFA 22, the most authentic football simulation available, is becoming even more realistic with HNK Hajduk, which will present itself to many fans of this mega-popular game in the latest season!

With the official entry into FIFA 22, Hajduk strengthens its position in global football and confirms that it follows world trends and the practice of the world's largest clubs.

With 17,000 players in more than 700 teams, in more than 90 stadiums in more than 30 leagues, FIFA 22 brings unparalleled authenticity and the most comprehensive interactive football experience. FIFA 22 is the only place where you can play in cult competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the brand new UEFA Europa Conference League, Premier League, Bundesliga, LaLiga Santander, CONMEBOL Libertadores and CONMEBOL Sudamericana.

Enhanced by revolutionary HyperMotion technology, ie the integration of advanced motion recording of 22 professional footballers in a competitive match (11 vs. 11) and machine learning (knowledge from 8.7 million frames of advanced match recordings), FIFA 22 brings an ever more realistic football experience to all players' homes!

The official release of FIFA 22 is scheduled for October 1, 2021!''

The club promoted the news on its social networks and on its website with an image of its star, Marko Livaja, who has just scored his first goal for the national team at Stadion Poljud in the qualifying match against Slovenia, along with the official logo of the videogame and the Hajduk Split crest. Many fans of Hajduk Split are already beginning to suspect if the Croatian player, being the image of the news, will have a personalized face or if he will have a good rating in the game. Some are even beginning to recommend that he and his teammates be given ratings of 90 or more (something that only occurs with players like Mbappé, Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Lewandowski):

LIVAJAAA he deserves 90+ rating and 95+ potential

— Vaki ?? (@Vaki10_) September 8, 2021

biuk and ljubicic 99 potential ?

— Fizzy Rhino (@JoeOucas) September 8, 2021

Some Croatian players who have official faces in the videogame are: Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, Mateo Kovačić, Ivan Rakitić, Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Rebić, Šime Vrsaljko, Nikola Vlašić, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Josip Brekalo and Tin Jedvaj. 

The Croatian national team is expected to return to the EA Sports videogame next year, with the start of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. To do so, they will have to continue their good run of results and ensure their qualification in the coming months against Cyprus and Malta in their away games, and against Slovakia and Russia at home. Let's hope that very soon the company decides to officially include the Croatian national team in the game and, in the same way, the Croatian First League and the rest of the teams.

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July 16, 2021 - The 2021/22 HNL season officially begins today, bringing football and fans back to Croatian stadiums. 

The new HNL season starts today! After the Croatia national team competed in the Euros, club football is back to kick off the 31st season of the HNL (Croatian First League), reports HRT.

Fans are returning to the stands with COVID certificates, and there are many new coaches. The title is defended by Dinamo, and the main competitors for the title will be Osijek, Hajduk, and Rijeka. Instead of Varaždin, Hrvatski Dragovoljac returned to the First League.

Dinamo and Slaven Belupo open the championship at Maksimir today from 18.55, and Osijek and Šibenik will play from 21.00.

Dinamo opened the new season with European appearances against Valur. Before the new European challenges against Cypriot club Omonia in the 2nd qualifying round, the Blues welcome Slaven Belupo in the opening match of the new HNL season. Damir Krznar is facing new challenges on the Dinamo bench after he was responsible for Dinamo's biggest European victory against Tottenham last season. Dinamo, with some new faces in the locker room, is hoping to defend the title again. Their attack was strengthened by Duje Čop, many players returned from loan, and it is questionable whether exit transfers will be made by the national team members Livaković, Petković, or Oršić.

Slaven Belupo has a new coach - Dean Klafurić, and the attack is led by the experienced Ivan Krstanović. The club has so far been strengthened by Vinko Soldo, Mario Marina, Lovro Zvonarek, Nedim Hadžić, and Mateo Monjac.

After last season's second place, Osijek went on the offensive in the summer transfer window to strengthen the team in order to compete more strongly for the title. Nenad Bjelica brought Šimo Gržan and, most importantly, locked down the top scorer of the league, Ramon Mierez, with a contract. In an exchange with Hajduk, Darko Nejašmić arrived, and Josip Vuković moved to Poljud. If Kleinheisler, Bočkaj, and Škorić remain, the Osijek club will be very uncomfortable this season.

Šibenik has a new coach Mario Rosas, and the club has been strengthened by Stefan Perić, Camilo Mesa, and three Dinamo players on loan - Julardžija, Marin, and Jurić.

The remaining matches of the first round of the new season continue on Saturday and Sunday, between Lokomotiva and Hajduk, and Rijeka and Gorica. The round will end on Sunday between Istria and Hrvatski Dragovoljac.

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11 June, 2021 - The recent controversy over the Croatia National Football team has to do with the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM). It gives us an opportunity to take a look back into the history books and get some context.

There is nothing the media likes more than a bit of controversy. The Croatian Football Federation and the country’s national team are well aware of this. They recently came under a bit of scrutiny when it became known that the players will not be taking a knee before the game against England this Sunday.

EURO 2020 is upon us and it will dominate the news around the continent for the next month or more. Some of the first titles to appear to have to do with the Black Lives Matter movement and the symbolic gesture seen mostly on the British football fields. Following some American athletes, football players in England started kneeling before the games in support of the BLM movement. Sometimes teams from other parts of Europe join in and sometimes they don't. The Croatian National Football team caused a stir during their last friendly match against Belgium. The Belgian players took a knee at the beginning of the match, and the Croats didn't. While the national football association (HNS) pretty much explained everything in their statement released a few days ago, this situation gives us a chance to talk about the underlying cause of the entire issue – the fight against slavery.

Croatian Heritage

Slavery, one of the most shameful activities in human history, has a long and sad tradition. So does the fight against it. While all the countries in the world have abolished slavery, it is by no means completely eradicated. We're still seeing human trafficking and slave labour across many parts of the world. To find out how to fight against it, we might want to look at some successful historical examples. The most important one might be the Dubrovnik Republic, the first European country to abolish slavery. Yes, the southernmost part of Croatia was once its own country in many ways, officially starting from 1358 and lasting until 1808. During this time, this small republic became one of the most successful city-states of the entire Mediterranean. The Dubrovnik Republic's large and powerful merchant navy and excellent diplomatic skills allowed them to thrive in a politically turbulent area.

The Dubrovnik Republic’s Decision

At the peak of its power, in 1416, this aristocratic European merchant force voted in favour of a law prohibiting slavery and the slave trade. It was a remarkably interesting decision and one they had all the intention of keeping. The Dubrovnik Republic was a no-nonsense place when it came to laws and regulations. The punishments for transgressions were swift and serious as we already talked about in a related text.  Anyone caught selling or buying a slave would have to pay reparations and would be imprisoned in the toughest prison cells for six months.

This is nothing compared to those who made the slave trade into a business. These people would have to free all of their slaves, and then their eyes would be gauged out. If they didn’t comply with freeing the slaves, the sentence was death by hanging. However, the most interesting part of the story concerns the financing of the slave trade. Bankers who worked with slave traders would also be imprisoned. All this was done in the very heart of Europe of that time, centuries before the United Kingdom in the North abolished slavery and almost half of the millennium before the USA did the same. Interestingly, the Dubrovnik Republic wasn't the first place in modern-day Croatia to abolish slavery. It was actually the island of Korcula in 1214. Korcula wasn’t its own country, but this is still a strong testament to the heritage of the anti-slavery fight by the Croatian people.  

A Valuable Gesture?

Regardless of history, you might be for or against the Croatian National Football team’s decision to not take a knee. The fact remains, that the BLM movement is a movement for the better rights of an oppressed minority and as such it will have the support of any right-minded individual. The only question is, at what point do gestures like this go from being a powerful statement by people directly affected by the issue, to becoming an Instagrammable trend followed by random individuals across the world without really knowing anything about the movement itself.

One trend that has been dead for a long time is brutal honesty. Let me try to revive it by saying that with the historical context kept in mind, perhaps those playing under the European flags of England or Belgium have a little bit more reason to kneel before the movement for the rights of people of African descent than those playing under the flag of Croatia.

For more on the Croatian National Football team, follow our sport section.

May 29, 2021 - The Osijek Pioneers, Hajduk Cadets, and Dinamo Juniors have won the Croatian Football Cup in the 2020/21 competition season, the finale of which was held at the Branko Čavlović - Čavlek Stadium in Karlovac.

The Osijek Pioneers were more successful than Dinamo in the final match (1:0), the Hajduk Cadets convincingly defeated Lokomotiva 4:0 in the final, and in the exciting junior final, Dinamo defeated Osijek 5:4 after a penalty shootout. The match ended without winners and goals in regulation time. 

Slobodan Kadic

Slobodan Kadic

Slobodan Kadic

Numerous delegations of the Croatian Football Federation were at the finals of the Croatian Cup for pioneers, cadets, and juniors were represented by Executive Director Marijan Kustić, Vice President Tomislav Svetina, Presidential Advisers Zorislav Srebrić, and Stjepan Merkaš, Chief Instructor Petar Krpan, Competition Coordinator Neven Šprajcer, U-19 national team coach Josip Simunic, and U-17 national team coach Tomislav Rukavina, along with the president of the Karlovac County Football Federation, Dario Mrzljak.

Slobodan Kadic

Source: HNS

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May 11, 2021 – The Borna Sosa story has stirred quite a bit of commotion with his announcement of switching national teams from Croatia to Germany. The story got a new twist that might complicate things even more.

Even though the football season is almost over the news of the day in Croatia is one about Borna Sosa. This talented 23 years old left-back player is exactly what the national team needs now. His outstanding performances both in his club and Croatia U21 national team made him a young player to watch. But it wasn’t just Croatian officials that were watching him.

German Football Federation was quick to approach the player. They managed to sway him to come to play for the German national team. Borna’s mother was born in Germany and he now has the legal right to claim German citizenship. The decision was a shocking one for the Croatian football public and especially painful given the specific talents and the position Borna Sosa excels at. We have already reported on the details of this story as well as on the interview in which he explained his decision. The case seemed pretty much closed. However, the latest news out of Germany puts another shocking spin on the entire story.

The Final Twist?

In order to have Sosa playing for the German national football team after already playing for the Croatia U21 team, he needs permission from FIFA, football’s global governing body. As index.hr reports, there is a new clause added in FIFA rulebook since September 2020 that states a player switching national teams needed to already have had citizenship of the nation he is switching to before he played for the national team he is switching from. In other words, Borna Sosa needed to already have had dual Croatian and German citizenship at the time when he played for the Croatia youth team. Borna Sosa applied for German citizenship this year, so this is not the case. Because of this, FIFA will most probably decline the German request.

This is quite a shock, not just because of the fact Sosa might not be allowed to play for Germany. It is very unusual for a serious football association to make a mistake like that, not checking basic rules and regulations. If FIFA decides to disallow this change in national teams, this will be quite an embarrassing episode for German officials. Going public with announcements of Sosa’s possible place in the national team might backfire spectacularly.

At the end of the story, Croatia might end up with the left-back player the fans were dreaming of. The question is, will there be bad feelings after the Germany saga.

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