November 1, 2021 - Swedish strategist Jens Gustafsson has been sacked as the Hajduk coach after losing to Slaven Belupo 3:2 on Sunday in Koprivnica. 

As of today, Jens Gustafsson is no longer the coach of the first team of HNK Hajduk, and together with his assistants Andreas Brännström and Torbjörn Arvidsson, he leaves the Hajduk bench, reported the Split club on their website Monday morning. 

Jens Gustafsson took over the first team on May 28 this year. Under his leadership, Hajduk played a total of 17 games and recorded nine wins, three draws, and five defeats. He led the last match in Koprivnica, where Hajduk was defeated 3:2.

"First of all, I would like to thank the President and the Sports Director for their trust. I am grateful for all the time I spent in Hajduk and for everything I have experienced in the past from people in Split and Dalmatia.

Special thanks go to our fans who have always been supportive of the whole team and me. I wish Hajduk all the best in the future. This is a great Club, and I am sure the team will get better and better later this season," said Jens Gustafsson on his departure.

"We wish coach Gustafsson a lot of luck and success in the continuation of his career," said HNK Hajduk. 

HNK Hajduk will announce the new coach of the first team next week.

Hajduk lost to Slaven Belupo in Koprivnica on Sunday in the 14th round of the Croatian First League. The Split team is currently fighting for 4th place with Gorica and Lokomotiva, which now have only three points less. Slaven Belupo was the last-placed team of the Croatian First League going into Sunday's match. 

Hajduk will play the current last-placed team Hr Dragovoljac on November 6 at Poljud.  

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October 30, 2021 - The Hajduk strategy until 2027 was presented to fans. President Lukša Jakobušić and Management Board member Ivan Matana spoke at the ceremony, and the strategy developed by Matana was presented by Gordan Kožulj, who today works for Deloitte, which also participated in the strategy development.

Index.hr reports that in the beginning, Kožulj stated Hajduk's clear goals until 2027. In that period, Hajduk wants to win the championship twice, be second in other seasons and win at least one Cup. In addition, they intend to play the Champions League and Europa League qualifiers twice, the Champions League group once, the Europa League group once, and the Conference League group three times. In this competition, one entry into round of 32 and once into the round of 16 is expected. The average age of the A team of the club must be between 24 and 26 years, and every year the Hajduk junior team wants to promote two young players to the first team.

"Hajduk is currently the 140th club in Europe. For all Croatian clubs, including Hajduk, the key is to play in European competitions. Revenues from UEFA are significant for clubs, the value of players is rising, and there is a fight for the national coefficient. Hajduk has played only the preliminaries of the European League during the past five seasons. This Management is not satisfied with that. The Hajduk management believes that Hajduk can be between 80 and 100 on the UEFA rankings. Last year, Milan was 80, and Maribor was 100 with five million euros.

This is an example of clubs with a large budget falling to a lower level and clubs with a small budget, such as Maribor, getting a good result. We took the example of Rapid, Partizan, Legija and AZ Alkmaar. Hajduk and the Management must think about how to reach a budget of at least 20 million euros to achieve the desired goal," Kožulj said.

He also said that the Academy must help to improve results.

"We need to have professional staff who can hone their talent. When we came in 2016, we saw that Hajduk has 40 outside scouts. Only three of them made a report at the end of the year. Today the club has clear contours of an advanced organization," Kožulj said.

The development of the Academy includes the construction of a football camp with fields and ancillary facilities, the development of Hajduk Digital, developing the sales network and strengthening cooperation with sponsors and systematizing operations, establishing a new performance and reward management system, and developing three-year business plans.

In October 2015, Hajduk's then-president Marin Brbić published a three-year work plan and program from 2016 to 2019. Thus, already in the 2015/2016 season, the goal was to win one of the national trophies, and in the 2016/2017 season to be "the most serious candidate to win one of the national trophies and enter the group of UEFA competitions".

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October 29, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinal draw was held today, revealing some exciting meetings on December 1. 

When Rijeka and Oriolik play the remaining round of 16 match next month, we will know the final list of Croatian Cup quarterfinalists. However, the matchups have been revealed today in a draw for the quarterfinal games on December 1, reports Gol.hr.

The biggest news is that Dinamo has been drawn against Oriolik / Rijeka. Therefore, Dinamo will play at home, most likely against Rijeka, which will be a real treat after the intense championship matches between these two clubs this season.

Twice this season, Dinamo and Rijeka played 3:3, which makes this Cup meeting even more special. But, of course, Dinamo and Rijeka will meet only if Oriolik does not pull an upset. 

Dinamo and Hajduk also play at Maksimir that weekend in the Croatian championship, meaning that the HNL match could easily be postponed for some time in the spring.

Hajduk and Lokomotiva will meet once again in Zagreb. The match is scheduled for December 1, and it will be the 19th consecutive Cup match that Hajduk will play against Lokomotiva away.

In addition to the 2018 final match that was played in Vinkovci, this means that Hajduk did not play a total of 20 Cup games at Poljud stadium.

Hajduk played its last home game in the Cup five and a half years ago, or in March 2016 in the semifinal match against Dinamo.

It should also be said that Hajduk could not even host until the round of 16 due to the rules because the hosts are always lower-ranked clubs. As for the quarterfinal draw, this is now the seventh time in a row that it has gone to the away team. 

Quarterfinal matches (December 1):

Dinamo - Oriolik/Rijeka

Lokomotiva – Hajduk

Osijek - Slaven Belupo

Gorica - Istra 1961

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October 28, 2021 - Torcida, the oldest supporters group in Europe, celebrates its 71st birthday today. A look back on the Hajduk fan group history and how it all began.

One soul and two bodies, as the quote reads, best depicts how intertwined Torcida and Hajduk are. And today, Hadjuk's beloved fan group celebrates its 71st birthday, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

For decades, October 28, 1950, has become as crucial in the history of Hajduk as the date of its founding on February 13, 1911. 

Namely, on October 28, 1950, a group of Hajduk fans organized in Zagreb, with students from Dalmatia, and made their way to Split. The next day, Hajduk played the decisive championship match against Red Star (Crvena Zvezda). Hajduk ultimately won 2:1 and thus became champions with goals by Bernard Vukas and Božo Broketa. It was a famous title for Hajduk, which they clinched without a defeat.

But why 'Torcida'? In the summer of 1950, when the World Cup was played in Brazil, five Hajduk members (Vladimir Beara, Bernard Vukas, Božo Broketa, Ervin Katnić, and Ivo Radovniković) were part of the Yugoslavia national team. They spoke about the chants and cheering they experienced in Rio de Janeiro, at the Maracana, the pride of Brazil, and the largest stadium in the world.

"Those fans in Brazil, their name is Torcida, and they make such a loud noise that at the start of the game, you are immediately at a loss. It is difficult to resist that and get a favorable result in that atmosphere!"

Those words published in the press drummed in the ears of Dalmatians. As a result, Vjenceslav Žuvela, a student from Korčula, became the ideological leader of that first Zagreb gathering, leaving the capital for Split on a Hajduk fan train.

Today, Žuvela's grave on Korčula is regularly visited by delegations from Hajduk and Torcida. The fan group has become somewhat of a social movement with incredible influence on the Split club. And with its founding on October 28, 1950, Torcida is the oldest supporters group in Europe.

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October 26, 2021 - The Croatian Cup quarterfinals began on Tuesday, with the first teams securing their spot in the next round of the competition. 

Osijek was the first to advance to the Croatian Cup quarterfinals, topping second division team Rudeš 2:0 (0:0) in Zagreb.

After a more reserved first half, Osijek increased the tempo in the second half and deservedly won. The goals were scored by Ivan Fiolić and Ramon Mierez in the second half. Osijek coach Nenad Bjelica can be satisfied because Argentine Mierez scored after a long time. 

Hajduk advanced to the Cup quarterfinals with a convincing 5:1 (2:1) away victory against the third division team Belišće.

The triple scorer for Hajduk was Marko Livaja (4', 56', 68'), two goals were added by Marin Ljubičić (35', 58'), while the only goal for the home team was scored by Silvio Anočić (5').

Hajduk's second goalkeeper Danijel Subašić had his first appearance in an official match after almost two years. The former Croatia goalkeeper and 2018 World Cup finalist last stood in goal in an official match for Monaco in December 2019, playing against Lille. His last official appearance for Hajduk before this was in December 2011.

After Osijek and Hajduk, Slaven Belupo also qualified for the Croatian Cup quarterfinals. 

In the only round of 16 match between two first league teams, the Koprivnica club beat Šibenik at Šubićevac after a penalty shootout (1:1, 6:4).

The game was 1:1 in the first 120 minutes of play, thanks to two penalties. Belupo took the lead in the 68th minute (Krstanović), while Ćurić equalized for the hosts in the 92nd minute. Belupo showed more skill on penalties, scored all five shots from the penalty spot, and advanced to the quarterfinals 6:4 (1:1).

BSK - Dinamo, Gorica - Mladost Ždralovi, Rudar Labin - Istra 1961, and Varaždin - Lokomotiva will play on Wednesday, while Oriolik and Rijeka will play on November 13.

The quarterfinal draw will be held on Friday.

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October 17, 2021 - The 12th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 15 to 17, 2021. This round featured the thrilling 3:3 derby between Rijeka and Dinamo, while Šibenik upset Hajduk 2:0. Here is our HNL round 12 recap. 

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Lokomotiva (2:2)

Dragovoljac and Lokomotiva opened the 12th round on Friday, October 15, 2021, in front of 83 spectators. 

Kulenovic scored the first goal of the match for the Lokomotiva lead in the 9th minute. Kacavenda made it 0:2 in the 17th. An own goal by Mersinaj gave Dragovoljac hope in the 30th minute at 1:2 before Lukic equalized in the 58th for 2:2, which was the final score. 

Pasaricek was shown a red card in the 78th minute, forcing Dragovoljac to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 10 points, while Lokomotiva is in 6th with 15. 

Gorica v. Istra 1961 (1:1)

Gorica and Istra met on Saturday, October 16, 2021, in Velika Gorica. 

Mlinar scored an own goal in the 12th minute for 1:0 Gorica. Bande didn't equalize until the 53rd for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 17 points, while Istra is in 8th with 11. 

Rijeka v. Dinamo (3:3)

Rijeka and Dinamo met on Saturday, October 16, 2021, at Rujevica Stadium. 

Drmic and Velkovski made it 3:0 for Rijeka already at halftime with goals in the 7th, 38th, and 41st minutes. Dinamo woke up in the second half as Petkovic scored a penalty for 3:1 in the 58th minute, another penalty less than 10 minutes later, and Adric scored the equalizer for 3:3 in the 82nd minute which was the final score. 

Rijeka is currently in 1st place with 24 points and one game less, while Dinamo is in 3rd with 23 and two games less. 

Slaven Belupo v. Osijek (0:2)

Belupo and Osijek met on Sunday, October 17, 2021, in Koprivnica. 

Hiros scored for 0:1 Osijek in the 22nd minute, before Nejasmic made it 0:2 just before the halftime whistle. 

Belupo is currently in 9th place with 6 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 24. 

Sibenik v. Hajduk (2:0)

Sibenik and Hajduk closed out the 12th round on Sunday, October 17, 2021, in Sibenik. 

Mina scored the first goal for 1:0 Sibenik in the 25th minute. A penalty for Curic made it 2:0, which was the final score. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 13 points, while Hajduk is in 4th with 20 and one game less.

You can see the full HNL table HERE. 

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October 8, 2021 - In this year's Next Generation, a list in which The Guardian carefully selects the 60 best prospects in world football, a Croatian player has stood out and it is 17-year-old Hajduk Split midfielder Marko Brkljača.

Every year since 2014, the British medium The Guardian publishes a list called Next Generation, in which 60 young players in world football stand out for their precocious and surprising performance in the minor divisions of their clubs and national teams. Some of them even add minutes with the first team, but the main objective of the list is to recognize the main promises in football.

The list is compiled by a diverse number of journalists and soccer analysts, who constantly follow the major soccer leagues not only in Europe but all over the world. Although any type of list can be subjective in nature, it is true that many of the players who have appeared on these lists in the past are today part of the football elite, such as:

• Ousmane Dembélé - Barcelona (Next Generation 2014)
• Luka Jović - Real Madrid (2014)
• Dayot Upamecano - Bayer München (2015)
• Manuel Locatelli - Juventus (2015)
• Dani Olmo - RB Leipzig (2015)
• Christian Pulisic - Chelsea (2015)
• Federico Valverde - Real Madrid (2015)
• Kai Havertz - Chelsea (2016)
• Gianluigi Donnarumma - PSG (2016)
• Matthijs de Ligt - Juventus (2016)
• Vinicius Júnior - Real Madrid (2017)
• Alphonso Davies - Bayern München (2017)
• Jadon Sancho - Manchester United (2017)
• Erling Haaland - Borussia Dortmund (2017)
• Ferrán Torres - Manchester City (2017)
• Mason Greenwood - Manchester United (2018)
• Eric García - Barcelona (2018)
• Eduardo Camavinga - Real Madrid (2019)
• Ansu Fati - Barcelona (2019)
• Pedri - Barcelona (2019)
• Jamal Musiala - Bayern München (2020)

Many Croatian players who are now part of the national team also appeared in previous editions, such as Nikola Vlašić (2014) and Josko Gvardiol (2019). Other Croatian players who were selected for the Next Generation roster were Ante Ćorić (2014), Davor Lovren (2015), Michele Sego and David Colina (2017), Antonio Marin and Mario Vušković (2018); and Bartol Barišić, Ivan Ćubelić, and Tomislav Duvnjak (2020).

This year, The Guardian has placed a Croatian player on the list, the Hajduk Split midfielder Marko Brkljača, born in Zadar on July 15th, 2004. This is how journalist Aleksandar Holiga describes Brkljača on The Guardian's Next Generation 2021 list:

''A left-footed box-to-box midfielder in the vein of, say, Georginio Wijnaldum. Regarded the biggest national prospect of his generation by some distance, Marko Brkljača attracts immediate attention with a smooth first touch and impressive physical capacity. His coaches particularly praise his ability to withstand challenges against older and bigger opponents, but also his sense for timing runs from behind, which regularly gets him into goal-scoring positions. Juventus tried to sign him last winter but they are not the only big club interested. Hajduk will want him to establish himself in the first team before considering any offers and he will get his chance soon enough – he made his senior debut in a cup game in September''.

The 17-year-old Croatian midfielder has yet to make his senior debut but continues to add minutes for the Hajduk U-19 team, where he is currently playing the UEFA Youth League, and the Croatian U19's. In a Croatian national team where the absence of the great Luka Modric will be felt in the coming years, it would not be bad for another Zadar-born midfielder to emerge as his successor. Let's hope so!

The Croatian national team plays today against Cyprus for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers at 8:45 p.m. Stay tuned for updates from Total Croatia News.

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October 4, 2021 - The 11th round of the Croatian First League was held from October 1-3, 2021. This round featured a blowout win for Dinamo, the della Učka derby, and Osijek and Hajduk at City Garden Stadium. Here's our HNL round 11 recap.

Šibenik v. Gorica (1:2)

Šibenik and Gorica opened the 11th round on Friday, October 1, 2021, at Subicevac Stadium in front of 466 spectators. 

Fruk put Gorica in the lead in the 15th minute and scored again in the 41st for 0:2 at the half. Curic came back for Sibenik in the 66th minute for 1:2, which was the match's final score. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Goria is in 5th with 16. 

Lokomotiva v. Slaven Belupo (3:0)

Lokomotiva and Belupo met on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in Zagreb in front of 412 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Gorican scored the first goal of the match in the 54th minute for 1:0 Lokomotiva, follow by Kaacavenda in the 70th and Kulenpvic in the 74th for 3:0. 

Lokomotiva is currently in 6th place with 14 points, while Belupo is in 9th with 6. 

Istra 1961 v. Rijeka (3:6)

Istra and Rijeka met in the della Ucka derby on Saturday, October 2, 2021, in front of 1,274 spectators. 

Silva scored the first goal of the match in the 18th minute for 1:0 Istra, though Kresic equalized 6 minutes later for 1:1. Then, Pavicic put Rijeka in the lead at 1:2 and scored again 5 minutes later for 1:3. Finally, Vuckic scored for 1:4 at the half. 

Ampem opened the second half with a goal for Rijeka in the 52nd minute (1:5), and Mahmoud slightly redeemed Istra with a goal in the 60th for 2:5. Lisica made it 3:5 in the 77th though Busnja sealed Rijeka's victory with a goal in the 85th for the final 3:6.

Istra is in 8th place with 10 points, while Rijeka leads the table with 23. 

Dinamo v. Hr. Dragovoljac (8:0)

Dinamo and Dragovoljac met at Maksimir on Sunday, October 3, 2021. 

Dinamo's blowout began with a Misic goal in the 22nd minute for 1:0 and Menalo in the 2nd minute of injury time for 2:0 at the half. Ivanusec increased Dinamo's lead to 3:0 in the 50th minute and Spikic to 4:0 9 minutes later. Menalo scored his second goal in the 65th minute for 5:0 and Andric for 6:0 in the 69th. Bulat made it 7:0 in the 82nd and Tolic 8:0 in the 3rd minute of injury time for the final score. 

Dinamo is currently in 2nd place with 22 points (and two games behind), while Dragovoljac is in last place with 5 points. 

Osijek v. Hajduk (1:1)

Osijek and Hajduk closed out the 11th round on Sunday, October 3, 2021, at City Garden Stadium.

Kleinheisler opened the game with an early goal in the 9th minute for the Osijek lead. Lovrenciscs equalized in the 19th minute for 1:1, which was the final score of the match. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 21 points, while Hajduk is in 4th with 20 (and one game behind). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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October 1, 2021 - The Croatian Football Federation has suspended referee Ivan Bebek after an audio recording was released earlier this week in which he insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić.

The disciplinary commission of the Croatian Football Federation held a session today to discuss referee Ivan Bebek and the audio recording that was published in the media this week, HNS reported on its official website.

After the recording was published, HNS President Marijan Kustić reported referee Ivan Bebek to the Disciplinary Commission, which at today's session decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings and suspended Bebek until a decision was made on a possible sentence.

The Disciplinary Commission requested a statement from Ivan Bebek on this case and will decide at a new session next week.

After the 10th round HNL match between Hajduk and Lokomotiva, which was refereed at Poljud, Bebek insulted Hajduk fans and Split journalist Blaž Duplančić in a private conversation. This all resulted from a controversial moment in the 9th minute of the match when there was contact between Livaja and De Haas.

Namely, Bebek had numerous conversations with players and coaches with the desire to show his authority and missed a blatant penalty for Hajduk. De Haas tripped Marko Livaja in the penalty area, though Bebek did not even consult VAR, which provoked a fierce protest from Livaja, who eventually earned a yellow card. 

"The tripping is not intentional or of great intensity, but the criterion of the probable situation is the one for which it was a penalty kick. The Lokomotiva player disrupted the opponent's coordination and movement," said Croatian referee expert Mario Strahonja.

Hajduk immediately requested a statement from HNS, and HNS hastily opened an investigation and forwarded the entire case to the Disciplinary Commission for urgent resolution.

Bebek refereed the Europa League match between the Legia Warsaw and Leicester in Warsaw on Thursday night but was removed from reffing in the HNL 11th round even before today's decision. 

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September 28, 2021 - The 10th round of the Croatian First League was played from September 25 to 27, 2021. This round saw Rijeka edge out Gorica in a dramatic finish, while Osijek, Dinamo, and Hajduk recorded victories to keep the race for the top tight. Here's our HNL round 10 recap. 

Slaven Belupo v. Dinamo (1:4)

Slaven Belupo and Dinamo opened the 10th round on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Koprivnica in front of 993 spectators. 

Juric scored Dinamo's first goal in the 23rd minute for 0:1, and Orsic increased their lead to 0:2 in the 44th. Petkovic made it 0:3 in the 50th minute, and Cop 0:4 in the 76th! Grgic scored Belupo's only goal of the match in the 80th minute for the final score of 1:4. 

Belupo is in 9th place with 6 points, while Dinamo is in 3rd with 19 (and two games less). 

Sibenik v. Osijek (0:2)

Sibenik and Osijek met on Saturday, September 25, 2021, in Sibenik in front of 746 spectators.  

Fiolic scored for the Osijek lead in the 18th minute, and Zaper scored in the 82nd for the final 0:2. 

Sibenik is currently in 7th place with 10 points, while Osijek is in 2nd with 19. 

Gorica v. Rijeka (3:4)

Gorica and Rijeka met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, in Velika Gorica in front of 1,000 spectators. 

Gorica took the lead with a goal by Lovric in the 12th minute. Abass equalized for Rijeka in the 43rd, and Marjanovic scored in the 3rd minute of injury time for 2:1 Gorica at the half. Selahi made it 2:2 in the 46th minute, and Gorica's Delfi was shown a red card in the 51st, forcing them to play with a man down for the remainder of the match. 

Muric scored a penalty for 2:3 Rijeka in the 58th minute, and Fruk equalized for Gorica in the 90th minute! Pavicic scored the winning goal one minute later for the final 3:4. 

Gorica is currently in 5th place with 13 points, while Rijeka is in 1st with 20 (and one game less).

Hajduk v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Hajduk and Lokomotiva met on Sunday, September 26, 2021, at Poljud in front of 7,657 spectators. 

The match's only goal came in the 81st minute, thanks to a Livaja header for 1:0. 

Hajduk is currently in 4th place with 19 points (and one game less), while Lokomotiva is in 6th place with 11 (and one game less).

Hr. Dragovoljac v. Istra 1961 (0:1)

Dragovoljac and Istra closed out the 10th round on Monday, September 27, 2021, in front of 92 spectators. 

The only goal of the match came in the 20th minute, thanks to Drena Beljo. 

Dragovoljac is currently in the last place with 5 points, while Istra is in 8th with 10 (and one game less). 

You can see the full HNL table HERE.

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