ZAGREB, May 6, 2020 - Croatian People's Party (HNS) leader Ivan Vrdoljak said that the meeting of the ruling coalition held on Tuesday focused on a budget review and an education bill as the basis for the adoption of decisions necessary to bring the school year to an end and regulate school leaving exams and enrolment.

"We primarily discussed the budget review and what the topics of our meeting next week will be. I wanted the budget review... to contain a clear message that public sector investments would continue and be stimulated," said Vrdoljak after the meeting.

"The second topic was... the formulation by the government of a bill on education, to be discussed by the parliament next week. The bill should serve as the basis for the adoption of decisions that have to be made to enable the completion of the school year and regulate school leaving exams and enrolment," said Vrdoljak.

Answering a reporter's question, he said that the meeting did not discuss the issue of elections.

"The HNS and I think that elections should be held as soon as possible because serious decisions need to be made. The business sector cannot wait until December because someone in politics might want or not want elections to be held. Put forward your platforms, present them to voters and let them decide what the next two, three or four years should look like," said Vrdoljak.

He said that he did not ask Prime Minister Andrej Plenković when the parliament would be dissolved. "The matter will soon be put on the agenda," he said.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

April 21, 2020 - There are still 10 rounds to be played in the Croatian First League. The Croatian Football Federation announced that football would not resume in the first proposed calendar term.

The Croatian Football Federation on Monday announced that the competition in the Croatian First League would not continue until at least May 16.

"The Croatian Football Federation continuously monitors the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and respects all decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia.

Following the new decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and extension of the measures until May 4, 2020, HNS decided that the continuation of the competition in the First HNL will not start on May 16, which was the first of three scheduled dates for the continuation of the competition.

Given the unpredictability of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the HNS will continue to cooperate and follow the instructions of the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia and make decisions in accordance with the epidemiological situation in Croatia, and will inform all its members, the media and the public in a timely manner," HNS said in a statement.

The Croatian First League competition was terminated on March 12 after 26 rounds were played. The remaining options to continue the competition are May 30 and June 13.

Recall, the Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation adopted changes to the competition calendar in the 1st and 2nd Croatian League and Croatian Cup, taking into account the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

According to the recommendation of UEFA, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) management has considered all the options in the calendar to allow a successful end to the competition year. Considering that the further course of the coronavirus pandemic is unpredictable, the HNS Executive Board has adopted three calendar options for the Croatian First League, Second League, and Croatian Cup competitions.

HNS has been in communication with the Central State Office for Sport on this subject, which is aware of and agrees with the decisions cited here.

Depending on the epidemiological situation in Croatia and the decisions of the competent authorities, the Executive Board will, by a specific decision, determine which version of the competition calendar change will apply.

In addition, the Olympic Committee has set deadlines by which it will announce a possibly selected version of the decision:

Option 1
1st HNL Competition Starts: May 16, 2020
2nd HNL Competition Starts: May 23, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition: July 18, 2020
Deadline: April 20, 2020

Option 2
1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition Starts: May 30, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition: July 25, 2020
Deadline: May 4, 2020

Option 3
1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition Starts: June 13, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL Competition: August 2, 2020
Completion of 2nd HNL Competition: 1st August 2020
Deadline: May 18, 2020

By the end of the championship, 10 more rounds should be played, and at the moment the league was interrupted, Dinamo led in in the standings with 65 points, Rijeka is in second with 47,  Lokomotiva in third with 46, and Hajduk in fourth with. 45. At the bottom is Istria 1961 with 19 points and Inter and Varazdin with 17 points.

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

April 16, 2020 - Nenad Bjelica is no longer the coach of Dinamo Zagreb!

Gol.hr reports that negotiations at Maksimir lasted for more than three hours on Thursday, after which Dinamo officially announced that Nenad Bjelica was no longer the coach of the Croatian champion.

"GNK Dinamo and Nenad Bjelica have agreed to terminate their business cooperation. The club thanks Nenad Bjelica for his cooperation so far and the results he has achieved as the coach for Dinamo."

No details of the painful breakup are known so far. It should be reminded that by the end of the contract, Dinamo should have paid Bjelica just over two million euro.

Nenad Bjelica arrived at Maksimir this morning after 9 am to discuss terminating his contract. Dinamo had already written off the coach who brought the club the biggest success in Europe in the last 50 years as he did not agree to a reduced salary.

"The breakup was mutual, we didn't even get to fight," Bjelica told reporters.

What caught everyone's eye on Thursday is that Bjelica got out of a car with Split license plates. Namely, he arrived for negotiations with Split lawyer Tomislav Kasal. Kasal is a lawyer representing the Football Union Association and Hajduk and is a member of FIFA's Disputes Commission. He also represents a few Dinamo players.

The club was allegedly surprised that Bjelica arrived with a lawyer for his first interview at the club after the outbreak of the conflict. According to information from close sources, Bjelica did not forget about the dismissed members of his coaching staff who were not entitled to compensation and wanted to settle them in this breakup.

The new coach will be the current expert at the helm of the young squad, Igor Jovicic, which the club should soon confirm. So far, he is the only candidate for Bjelica's successor.

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

April 12, 2020 - How has the market value dropped for players of Dinamo, Rijeka, Hajduk, and Osijek? A look at the player value of the Croatian First League from the beginning of March to present.

Index.hr reports that the coronavirus pandemic has caused a decline in market value for all footballers. This situation was expected, however, because the sport has been paralyzed, competitions have been suspended or postponed, and the deadlines are still in question. 

Transfermarkt, the world's most popular football transfer site, has announced that the market value of all players born before January 1, 1998, is down 20 percent, while those born after that date are down 10 percent.

So, how has the market value dropped for players of Dinamo, Rijeka, Hajduk, and Osijek? A comparison from the beginning of March to the present.

The biggest decrease was recorded for Dinamo's Bruno Petkovic and Dominic Livakovic, both of whom dropped 2.5 million euro. However, they remain at the top of the most expensive Croatian championship players.

Namely, before the pandemic, Petkovic was worth 13.5 million euro, while Livakovic was worth 13 million euro. They were accompanied by Mislav Oršić, whose market value was 9.5 million euro. Petkovic is now worth 11 million, Livakovic 10.5, and Orsic is estimated at 7.5 million euro, enough to keep him in third place.

With the example of Petkovic, Livakovic and Orsic, it is easy to conclude that Dinamo's market value has dropped the most, but it is not difficult to assume that the current Croatian champion still holds the most expensive lineup in the Championship.

Dinamo's players had totaled 97 million euro, and their total value now stands at 79.4 million euro, down 18.2 percent.

The coronavirus price drop has has hit Dinamo's Izet Hajrovic the hardest, whose value has been falling since last summer. In July, Hajrovic was worth 3 million euro, and today, his price is only 1.2 million euro. This is a staggering 60 percent drop. He was worth 1.5 million euro before the pandemic.

The overall value of Hajduk players fell by 17.2 percent. Hajduk players were worth 24 million euro, while their value now is 20 million euro.

Hajduk's most expensive player remains Mijo Caktaš, who was worth 3.5 million euro and is now estimated at 2.8 million euro. The price for Josip Juranovic fell half a million euro, and he is now worth two million euro. Brazilian Jairo also dropped by half a million euro, too, and is now worth 1.6 million euro.

A drop similar to Hajduk's was also recorded by Rijeka, whose team was worth 20.5 million euro before the pandemic, and is now worth 16.9 million euro, which is down 17.6 percent.

The price of Antonio Colak from Rijeka dropped from 3 million euro to 2.4 million euro. The value of his teammates Alexander Gorgon and Franko Andrijasevic is now worth 1.6 million euro each, down by 400,000 euro each.

It is impossible to say for the time being if there will be any further reductions in the football market soon, but it is evident that these declines are significant, considering the total sum of all Croatian First League players dropped by 16.3 percent, or from 226.6 million to 189.7 million euro.

This is a decrease of 36 million euro, which is almost equal to the current market value of players from Hajduk and Rijeka, amounting to 36.9 million euro.

Dinamo

Dominik Livakovic - €10.5 million (€13.5 million)
Danijel Zagorac - €475,000 (€600,000)
Dino Peric - €4.8 million (€6 million)
Kevin Theophile Catherine - €4 million (€5 million)
Emir Dilaver - €3.2 million (€4 million)
Josko Gvardiol - €1.3 million (€1.5 million)
Francois Moubandje - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Marin Leovac - €725,000 (€900,000)
Petar Stojanovic - €1.2 million (€1.5 million)
Sadegh Moharrami - €600,000 (€750,000)
Nikola Moro - €5.8 million (€6.5 million)
Arian Ademi - €7 million (€5 million)
Marko Djira - €1.3 million (€1.5 million)
Amer Gojak - €7 million (€5.5 million)
Luka Ivanusec - €3.6 million (€4 million)
Lovro Mayer - €2.3 million (€2.5 million)
Mislav Oršić - €7.5 million (€9.5 million)
Antonio Marin - €1.3 million (€1.5 million)
Damian Kadzior - €2.4 million (€3 million)
Izet Hajrovic - €1.2 million (€1.5 million)
Bruno Petkovic - €13.5 million (€11 million)
Mario Gavranovic - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Sandro Kulenovic - €1.3 million (€1.5 million)
Mario Ćuže - €775,000 (€850,000)

Hajduk

Josip Posavec - €1 million (€1.3 million)
Marin Ljubić - €600,000 (€750,000)
Goran Blažević - €50,000 (€50,000)
Stefan Simić - €800,000 (€1 million)
Ardian Ismajli - €800,000 (€1 million)
Nihad Mujakic - €800,000 (€750,000)
Mario Vuskovic - €600,000 (€525,000)
Kristian Dimitrov - €400,000 (€500,000)
Stipe Vucur - €300,000 (€350,000)
Stipe Radic - €100,000
David Colina - €900,000 (€1 million)
Josip Juranovic - €2 million (€ 2.5 million)
Josip Bašić - €150,000
Darko Nejašmić - €1.8 million (€2 million)
Stanko Juric - €750,000 (€900,000)
Mijo Caktas - €2.7 million (€3.5 million)
Hamza Barry - €800,000 (€1 million)
Bassel Jradi - €800,000 (€1 million)
Jakov Blagaić - €300,000
Loen Krekovic - €50,000
Jairo da Silva - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Ivan Dolček - €450,000 (€500,000)
Samuel Eduok - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Francesco Tahiraj - €300,000 (€450,000)
Marin Jakoliš - €400,000 (€500,000)

Rijeka

Andrej Prskalo - €400,000 (€500,000)
David Nwolokor - €250,000
Ivor Pandur - €250,000 (€150,000)
Hrvoje Smolčić - €750,000 (€850,000)
Nino Galovic - €600,000 (€750,000)
Joao Escoval - €400,000 (€500,000)
Darko Velkovski - €400,000 (€500,000)
Jasmin Celikovic - €150,000 (€200,000)
Daniel Stefulj - €300,000 (€250,000)
Muhammad Kabiru - €50,000
Ivan Tomečak - €550,000 (€750,000)
Momcilo Raspopovic - €475,000 (€600,000)
Ivan Lepinjica - €900,000 (€1 million)
Luka Capan - €525,000 (€650,000)
Domagoj Pavicic - €1.2 million (€1.5 million)
Stjepan Loncar - €1.2 million (€1.5 million)
Franko Andrijasevic - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Tibor Halilovic - €800,000 (€1 million)
Dani Iglesias - €250,000 (€350,000)
Alexander Gorgon - €1.6 million (€2 million)
Felipe Pires - €750,000 (€900,000)
Robert Muric - €750,000 (€900,000)
Antonio Colak - €2.4 million (€3 million)
Sterling Yateke - €300,000

Osijek

Ivica Ivusic - €650,000 (€800,000)
Marko Malenica - €600,000 (€750,000)
Mile Skoric - €1.4 million (€1.8 million)
Ante Majstorovic - €1.2 million (€1.5 million)
Guti - €525,000 (€650,000)
Danijel Loncar - €300,000 (€400,000)
Talys - €675,000 (€750,000)
Igor Silva - €650,000 (€800,000)
Alen Grgić - €550,000 (€700,000)
Tomislav Sorsa - €150,000 (€250,000)
Mihael Žaper - €900,000 (€1 million)
Vedran Jugovic - €350,000 (€450,000)
Laszlo Kleinheisler - €1.4 million (€1.7 million)
Marin Pilj - €400,000 (€500,000)
Karlo Kamenar - €300,000
Dmytro Lopa - €300,000 (€350,000)
Petar Bockaj - €675,000 (€850,000)
Marveil Ndockyt - €575,000 (€650,000)
Eros Grezda - €1.1 million (€1.35 million)
Josip Špoljarić - €300,000 (€350,000)
Mirko Maric - €3.2 million (€4 million)
Antonio Mance - €1 million (€1.3 million)
Jerry Mbakogu - €400,000 (€500,000)

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

April 10, 2020 - Damir Miskovic, the owner and president of HNK Rijeka, talks about the realities of Croatian football after the coronavirus. 

Nearly one month has passed since almost all sports competitions have stopped around the world. The coronavirus pandemic has changed the world as we know it; it has not only stopped sports, but many other branches, and the real consequences of it are yet to come. Sports will be one of the hardest hit.

This is illustrated by the fact that clubs around the world are laying off, or at least furloughing many employees and reducing player wages. Without matches, there is no income, and without income, there is no money to pay off contractual obligations.

If they are already doing this in some of the world's biggest and richest clubs, why would it be any different in Croatia?

Damir Mišković, president of HNK Rijeka, who has been pumping his money into the club for years, tried to explain in an interview with Index.hr that this is a narrow view of the current situation and that the consequences of this pandemic will be more far-reaching than what is seen at the moment. 

Why was cutting wages in Rijeka necessary? 

"Cutting is an ugly word; I would say we pulled specific measures in a specific situation. We need to understand that the economy of the world in all segments, including sports, will get other dimensions, whether we like it or not. I'm always optimistic, and when I say something pessimistic, I am realistic. This is just the beginning of a major crisis in the world that will lead to a major crisis in sports, both in Croatia and in the world. Who will think of athletes when people who own businesses have to quit?"

What did the first team players conclude at a recent meeting regarding this situation, when the proposal to reanimate the First Team Association was rejected?

"We will have a lot to change in the next 2-3 years. All the HNL clubs were talking about this 3-4 weeks ago. Maybe some didn't understand the gravity of the situation, but now they understand it. We come up with common proposals, but then each club has a specific situation. We have come to an agreement that we need to see how much money anyone will need at their financial level to endure a year, because if some fail, we will not have a League. To say the least, in Inter or Varaždin, a salary of 2000 kuna is a lot, with us it is 2000 euros, a maximum of five or seven thousand, depending on the contract. We talked about it. Now Fifa has helped us too, because if we can't pay the players, we can only give them the papers, because everyone has the right to ask for what the contract should be."

What consequences will the clubs feel in the long run?

"I find it funny when someone says that football is losing nothing. It loses by not playing, that’s number one. Rijeka has enough fans; we have about 5500 regular spectators. When they come, there are more sponsors. If the players do not play, they cannot even show themselves and thus sell themselves, or they can be sold for less money. And our clubs live on sales and that is 80% of their revenue, in fact, the only normal income.

The crisis is already felt, most of the sponsors, big or small, are gone, and that money has paid some expenses, whether it be the working community, electricity, water, mowing the grass... Well, the sponsor who gives you beer in the stadium no longer works. When a small club comes to Dinamo or Hajduk, they earn a month's salary. Additionally, if the season continues, say, in June, players will have about three weeks of preparation after doing nothing for two months. My coaches tell me this is impossible. There will certainly be more injuries that will not allow players to be sold again."

Can the situation in the HNL be compared to that in the stronger leagues?

"We like to watch Barcelona, but we have a lot less to measure. We have to watch our league as it is, and it's much better than it was eight years ago when I came.

I have contacts with people, presidents or directors of the clubs in the League; they are not even thinking about buying or selling today, as rich as they are, just looking at cutting costs and surviving the next year or two."

And how to survive?

"If we tighten the belt and hold it for 10 months, things might get better. If not, we will all sit down together, have a drink, have fun, and go our own way. It will be one hell of a year. People won't have tickets. TV rights? Who will pay for the packages to watch the matches? I'm covered with these measures for the next six months, some clubs will have them in three months, some only for a month, and then what? We all need to survive together, so it will be easy to argue again whether it was offside or not."

Could Croatian football be helped today by the First League Association, called by some?

"It's been four years and what have we done? We did not agree on the ball, joint jersey manufacturers, TV rights, sponsors, nothing. We would be in Zagreb, having lunch together and we did nothing.

If you ask me if we need the First League Association, yes, we do. But it's like the Opatija Initiative, three years ago when we put together a proposal for the systematic financing of sports from TV rights, bookmakers... competition. We would cover 260,000 athletes in Croatia, each sport would have its own representative, and below would be separate bodies, this is how it works. We did the distribution by sports and by clubs, everything was included. To bring together 5-6 trophy sports, so which would be a bigger force in negotiating with sponsors or on TV rights?

But for starters, all football clubs and their representatives, through the HNS Commission with Mr Markulin at the helm, need to talk and come up with models and show that we are able to find sponsors and that we can have an association that produces money for clubs."

If everything goes back to normal, how can you better sell your Croatian football product in the future?

"There are about 160,000 subscribers to HNL channels in Croatia. And where are those pirating? To regulate this would be three times the number of subscribers. Cafes pay the same subscription as individuals, filling 50 seats during a match and everyone watching football for the price of one. They may not have to pay 50 times more, but five times more would be a major shift.

We also get nothing from bookmakers. If someone is watching us and betting on our matches, where is our share?

Furthermore, how many tourists, visiting fans, come to European matches? How many hotels do they get extra nights? We bring thousands of tourists, yet we still have to pay various taxes and surtaxes.

We need to understand that sport is not a profitable branch. Players earn, managers earn, but clubs do not. Sport should be cultivated for people to do sports instead of nonsense, but there is no income there."

How would you comment on the government measures taken today to assist sports associations and clubs in the wake of the corona crisis?

"NK Rijeka is not entitled to benefits for the working community because the City of Rijeka has a 30% stake in the club, but I have to praise the Sports Office for having done this, no one has bothered so much, and that is a step."

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

April 7, 2020 - The Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation has adopted changes to the competition calendar in the 1st and 2nd Croatian League and Croatian Cup, taking into account the current COVID-19 pandemic. Also, new licensing deadlines have been set.

According to the recommendation of the umbrella European football organization, UEFA, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) management has considered all the options in the calendar to allow a successful end to the competition year. Considering that the further course of the coronavirus pandemic is unpredictable, the HNS Executive Board has adopted three calendar options for the Croatian First League, Second League, and Croatian Cup competitions.

HNS has been in communication with the Central State Office for Sport on this subject, which is aware of and agrees with the decisions cited here.

Depending on the epidemiological situation in the Republic of Croatia and the decisions of the competent authorities, the Executive Board will, by a specific decision, determine which version of the competition calendar change will apply.

In addition, the Olympic Committee has set deadlines by which it will announce a possibly selected version of the decision:

Option 1
1st HNL Competition Starts: May 16, 2020
2nd HNL Competition Starts: May 23, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition: July 18, 2020
Deadline: April 20, 2020

Option 2
1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition Starts: May 30, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition: July 25, 2020
Deadline: May 4, 2020

Option 3
1st HNL and 2nd HNL Competition Starts: June 13, 2020
Completion of the 1st HNL Competition: August 2, 2020
Completion of 2nd HNL Competition: 1st August 2020
Deadline: May 18, 2020

You can find the suggested calendar options with all competition dates, including the semi-finals and finals of the Croatian Cup HERE.

In addition, the Executive Board, in accordance with the recommendation of UEFA, extended all deadlines related to deciding on the licensing and, therefore, amendments to the Rules on Licensing of HNS Clubs were made. The new deadlines are as follows:

First instance decision: May 15, 2020
First instance decision delivered: May 20, 2020
Deadline for appeal: May. 28, 2020.
Final licensing decision: by June 15, 2020
Final decision to refuse the license: by June 15, 2020
Submission of the list of license seekers: by June 20, 2020.

Finally, as recommended by UEFA, criterion F.05 "Future Financial Information" (Articles 35-40 of the Regulations) will not apply in this year's licensing process.

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

March 25, 2020 - NK Osijek and Dinamo Zagreb are the first two Croatian clubs to reduce the wages of players and employees during the corona crisis.

Drastic times call for drastic measures, and during the corona era, we’ve seen athletes around the world hit hard by the effects of the global pandemic. 

Croatian sport has been on hold since the beginning of the month, which has been especially tough for Croatian football. While HNS announced that the league must end no later than June 28, we’re still unsure of a potential start date, as Croatia is on lockdown until April 19. 

Clubs are struggling to stay alive, and players and employees are the ones having the suffer. 

Namely, the players of NK Osijek were offered a salary cut due to the coronavirus crisis, which they accepted, reports Glas Slavonije.

Thus, the club will reduce salaries by 50%, and 25% will be paid back when they return to the pitch.

They were the first club in Croatia to make this move, which we believe many more will follow to avoid financial problems.

"We were the first to decide on such measures, but I believe that all other clubs will very quickly do the same thing," said Osijek President Ivan Mestrovic.

Of course, this will not be an easy period for footballers and employees alike, but in the long run, this might be the saving grace.

After Osijek, Dinamo became the second Croatian club to reduce costs by reducing player and employee wages due to the coronavirus crisis, reports Nogomet Plus.

Unlike Osijek, whose employees and players will receive 50% lower pay (25% of which are non-refundable) until football resumes at Maksimir, they have opted for even more drastic measures. Namely, employees and players will receive only a third in the next six months - one third will be paid after the start of the competition, and one third will have to be given up permanently.

In its statement, the Dinamo Management stated:

“From the onset of the crisis caused by the Coronavirus - Covid 19, the management of GNK Dinamo has been in constant session and analysis of the consequences of the global crisis that caused the world economy to stall and completely halt our core business in sport. 

The strategy that we have decided to counteract the consequences of this crisis on society as a whole, and in particular on sport and football as its most prominent part, aims at preserving all jobs in Dinamo. This means that we strive to ensure that none of our players, coaches, physicians, physiotherapists, economists, stadium maintenance workers, and club administration are jobless and secure the conditions to live and function in dignity at this globally critical moment.

In order to succeed in this, all the stakeholders of the club must bear the brunt of this crisis, in proportion to their income and the other benefits of playing for and being employed by Dinamo. Considering the uncertainty of the continuation of the competition, the postponement of EURO 2020, the unknown start date of the new season in Croatia and Europe, the unknown about the timing and extent of the summer deadline and the overall economic crisis that has arisen, primarily to preserve the overall stability and liquidity of our club, the management of GNK DINAMO made the following decisions:

Employees earning more than HRK 7,500.00 (average income of the City of Zagreb) will be paid this amount and the difference up to the full amount of the salary as follows:

- one-third of the difference between the average income and the full amount of salary is paid regularly

- one-third will be paid within six months from the date of the first official game of GNK Dinamo

- one-third of the salary will not be paid permanently

- this measure shall be valid until 30 September 2020 and shall enter into force immediately.

2. Players and coaches will be paid as follows:

- one-third of the benefits will be paid on a regular basis

- one-third of the proceeds will be paid within six months of the date of the first official game of GNK Dinamo

- one-third of the benefits will not be paid permanently

- this measure shall be valid until 30 September 2020 and shall enter into force immediately.

3. The next two team preparations will be held in Croatia without going to the usual foreign destinations

4. This year's edition of the Mladen Ramljak Memorial Tournament is completely canceled

5. We continue to take additional measures to reduce all costs other than those necessary for the functioning of the Club

The decision shall take effect immediately. In these moments, we invite all players, coaches and employees to contribute with their positivity and community to the Club to continue its sports success and maintain its status as a leader in the sports excellence of Croatia and this part of Europe.

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

March 24, 2020 - The Croatia national football team has raised HRK 4.2 million which will be donated to the Croatian government fund opened today for two purposes - the fight against the coronavirus and to help rehabilitate Zagreb after the earthquake.

HNS announces that the state of emergency, caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the devastating earthquake in Zagreb, has spawned many well-known and unknown heroes across the country, who show exceptional effort, courage and organization every day to cope with this crisis successfully.

Therefore, in addition to a series of personal initiatives and donations, the players and the staff of the Croatia national football team decided to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus and to support the City of Zagreb and raised HRK 4.2 million!

The funds will be paid into two separate accounts opened today by the Croatian Government: "Croatia against Coronavirus" and "Together for Zagreb". The funds will be used to rehabilitate hospitals and purchase the necessary appliances, medicines and other medical supplies to combat the pandemic.

"With this action, we want to show that we are committed to supporting our people and our capital, and that together, as always, we will overcome these great challenges. We stand with all our heart with the people who have shown great courage, ability and strength in this crisis, from doctors and nurses to firefighters, police officers, soldiers and members of the Civil Protection Headquarters to the people who work daily for us to live relatively normally, such as merchants, delivery drivers and many others. We will win together again,” said the Croatia national team and staff in a joint statement.

In less than two days, the Vatreni have collected more than half a million euros for epidemic and earthquake relief. When we call our team and our fans a #Family, this is exactly the kind of unity and solidarity that we're referring to! ??❤ pic.twitter.com/KbDHnqkIjI

— HNS (@HNS_CFF) March 24, 2020

“In less than two days, the Vatreni have collected more than half a million euros for epidemic and earthquake relief. When we call our team and our fans a #Family, this is exactly the kind of unity and solidarity that we're referring to!”

The Croatia national team has shown many times both through public actions and also through their private initiatives far from the public eye that they have a big heart and a great sense of social responsibility. Through the Vatreno Srco Foundation, they have been raising funds for needy children and young people for years, but this amount has surpassed all previous actions.

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

March 23, 2020 - The Croatia national team members and coach Zlatko Dalic recorded a video with instructions on how Croatian citizens should behave during the coronavirus pandemic, with a final message that is as important as it is simple - stay home!

Captain Luka Modric, vice-captain Ivan Rakitic and the rest of the Croatia national team were supposed to travel to Doha today for a friendly tournament, but instead, they're spending time at home with their loved ones because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Considering the gravity of the situation, the 2018 World Cup finalists made a video, and in cooperation with the Croatian Institute of Public Health, sent instructions on how you should protect yourself during this pandemic. The video ends with a clear message, in the end, sent by the captain of the national team and the best player in the world in 2018, Luka Modric: "Stay home!"

HNS has already shown an understanding of the gravity of the situation by reacting early and postponing the Croatian football competitions. The Federation delegation led by president Davor Suker and coach Zlatko Dalic opted for voluntary self-isolation after attending the same event with the coronavirus-positive Serbian football federation president in Amsterdam. 

The Croatian Football Federation calls on all citizens and organizations to take the maximum responsibility, seriousness and compliance with all measures prescribed by the competent state institutions in order to overcome this crisis together as soon as possible.

For live updates, follow our COVID-19 dedicated page. 

March 19, 2020 - HNS has announced that the Croatian football league must be completed by June 28, 2020. 

When the Croatian League finally resumes is a question that has plagued fans of the Croatian football championship since the coronavirus halted the entire world of sports, including competitions in Croatia.

There are 10 more rounds left until the end of the season in the highest ranking of competitions in Croatia, with two more semi-finals and the Cup final to be played.

After UEFA postponed the European Championship on Tuesday and ordered clubs and national federations to finish all domestic championships by June 30, the Croatian Football Federation announced its decision the following day:

1. Playing all competitions under the jurisdiction of the Croatian Football Federation will be following the decisions of the National Civil Protection Staff of the Republic of Croatia and the recommendations of UEFA.

2. The competitions referred to in point 1 of this Decision shall end by 28 June 2020.

3. The HNS Working Bodies and Competition Commissioners shall be responsible for drafting a new schedule for the 2019/20 match year.

4. All other competition-related matters will be subject to the respective decisions of FIFA and UEFA.

Recall, the Croatia League is currently suspended until March 31, 2020, though with Croatia on lockdown until April 19, when it will begin again is still in question.

On March 12, HNS announced:

“In accordance with the recommendation of the Central State Office for Sport on the postponement of all international and national sports competitions at all levels, taking into account the recommendations of the Civil Protection Staff and the new situation in the Republic of Croatia, i.e., the increase in the number of infected, the Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation and the competent authorities have decided to stop all football competitions in Croatia - men's, women's, futsal all HNS leagues, inter-county and county leagues, the Croatian Cup, or all matches of youth, seniors and veterans - until March 31, 2020.

For training, it is recommended to adhere to all the hygiene and safety instructions of the National Civil Protection Headquarters in order to be conducted in the safest possible conditions for the health of the athletes.

As before, HNS will closely monitor the development of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic and, as recommended by the public health institutions, determine new measures, taking into account, in particular, the health of football players, spectators and all other football actors. The football family and the public will be informed in due time of any further measures,” HNS announced on its website.

Before that, on March 11, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) adopted a new measure to protect spectators, clubs, players and competitions during the coronavirus outbreak.

“Taking into account the emerging circumstances regarding the epidemic of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, today the leading people of the HNS and the relevant bodies of the Federation have re-analyzed the current situation and decided that all matches in competitions under the jurisdiction of the HNS will be played without spectators until March 31.

The new measure applies to the HT First League, Croatian Cup, 2. HNL, 3. HNL, 1. HNLŽ, 2. HNLŽ, 1. HMNL, 2. HMNL and all youth leagues under the auspices of HNS, as well as the upcoming UEFA qualifying matches that take place in Croatia.

In these competitions, only teams with their staff, senior management and officials of clubs and HNS, technical staff and a certain number of media representatives will be able to attend the matches until further notice, with all the usual measures for organizing matches.

The HNS also recommends that all county associations take the same measure in competitions under their jurisdiction.

As before, the HNS will closely monitor the development of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic and, if necessary, determine other measures to which the football family and the public will be informed in due time. The decision shall enter into force immediately and shall be valid until March 31 or the end of the representative break. The Federation will make a timely decision to continue or discontinue this measure, taking into account developments, recommendations from public health institutions, and considering, above all, the health of spectators, football players and all other actors in football."

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