November 16, 2020 - Croatia will no longer play at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, confirmed the executive director of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), Marijan Kustic.

Index.hr reports that this is even though Dinamo started repairing the south stand, which was destroyed in the earthquake.

Recall, there was room for the national team at Maksimir in reduced capacity during the coronavirus pandemic. Still, when the spectators return to the stands, the national team will no longer play at the infamous Zagreb stadium.

"We do not want to question at all that our national team, 2018 World Cup finalists, must have an adequate stadium in the capital. Maksimir is no longer an adequate stadium for the World Cup finalists. The city of Zagreb must give answers to Dinamo and finally find a solution and take action to build a new one. It would be inappropriate for the capital and a club like GNK Dinamo to have such a dilapidated stadium," Kustic said, noting that there are many countries that are neither at the economic nor football level of Croatia, but have better stadiums.

Kustic mentioned that the spectators are a priority for HNS and that they do not have adequate conditions at Maksimir. In Rijeka, Pula, Varazdin, Osijek, and Split, the situation is different, so the national team will play there in the future until the situation in Zagreb is resolved.

According to a rough estimate, more than a billion kuna has been pumped into Maksimir so far. That is why the Croatian Football Federation launched the idea of building a national stadium.

"We want the national team to play all over Croatia, but the stadium in Zagreb is no longer comfortable, half of the stands are not working, everything is closed and depressing. After the earthquake, the situation worsened; we don't know if it is safe. My personal opinion is that the national team's time at Maksimir has passed," Miskovic said.

The national team does not want to play at the stadium either, and in October, after the match against Sweden, Zenit stopper Dejan Lovren spoke about it publicly.

"All the national teams are surprised that we were second in the world, and we have such conditions. Two or three thousand people came to the match against Sweden at the ugliest stadium in Europe. People didn't have umbrellas, they were rained on, and I wanted to shake everyone's hand. It is inadmissible for a national team like ours, which promoted Croatia in the best possible way, to come here and rightly listen to the Sweden coach's insults. Obviously, some priorities in this country are not right. Some priorities, such as the cable car, are irrelevant. I think that hospitals, kindergartens, and schools should be built first, and then maybe a stadium, but we are not looking for that for ourselves, but for the people who come to watch us. I think we will wake up only when Serbia makes a national stadium," Lovren said at the time. 

After the national team campaign in October, coach Zlatko Dalic was also clear about using Maksimir stadium for national team matches.

"I don't know what else to say about it. I've been talking for two years; others have been talking for a decade. Maybe we shouldn't talk anymore but cut and say we won't play there. We keep saying it's not a stadium for the national team, and we keep coming. Maybe HNS should say it a lot; we don't play there anymore, although it would be inconvenient to avoid a city again when hosting the national team," said Dalic.

In October, Croatia last played in Zagreb in the Nations League matches against Sweden (2:1) and France (1:2), when a third of the stadium's capacity was open. The only match in November that will be played at home, against Portugal, will be at Poljud on Tuesday.

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November 6, 2020 - In the 3rd round of the Europa League, Rijeka falls to Napoli, and Dinamo tops Wolfsberger AC.

It was the battle of the Cup winners on Thursday night, as 2020 Croatian Cup winner Rijeka held their own against the 2020 Italian Cup winner and legendary Italian club Napoli. 

Unfortunately, just like two weeks, Rijeka suffered the same fate as they did against Real Sociedad at Rujevica and was left without points.

Rijeka opened the game brilliantly against the favorites, and with aggressive pressing, they forced Napoli to make poor passes, after which they created good chances to score with quick counterattacks.

Rijeka had the first great opportunity in the 4th minute when Menalo shot well from 20 meters, but Napoli goalkeeper Meret managed to defend. However, even that was not enough to wake up the guests who came into the game quite nonchalantly, and in the 13th minute, there was a new counterattack for Rijeka. Menalo and Kulenović brilliantly combined to find Murić, who nailed the helpless Meret's net with a precise shot from the top of the penalty area for 1:0.

Unfortunately, Robert Murić had to come off due to injury in the 24th minute, an exit which greatly affected the further course of the match. With the departure of Murić, Napoli took control of the pitch, and although they did not create any likely opportunity to score, they equalized at the end of the first half. Demme scored off a Mertens assist for 1:1.

Napoli increased their pressure in the second half, which proved to be too tough for Rijeka to sustain. An own goal in the 63rd minute by Filip Braut gave Napoli the 1:2 victory. 

In the second match of the 3rd round, Real Sociedad defeated AZ Alkmaar 1:0 (0:0) with a goal by Porto (58). Thus, halfway through the competition, AZ Alkmaar, Napoli, and Real Sociedad have six points each, while Rijeka is in last with no points.

In the 4th round in three weeks, Napoli - Rijeka and AZ Alkmaar - Real Sociedad will play.

In the second match on Thursday, Dinamo scored their first goal in the 3rd round of Group K and achieved their first victory, defeating Austrian club Wolfsberger 1:0 with a goal by Atiemwen in the 76th minute, which put them at the top of the group.

Dinamo played with a man-up throughout the second half but was not particularly dangerous. However, the first victory and a total of five points in the group was secured by Atiemwen only two minutes after he entered the the pitch in the 74th minute.

Both sides had major problems with COVID-19 infected players before the match. Namely, Dinamo had nine infected players, as well as coach Zoran Mamic, who was replaced by Alen Peternac. The Austrian club had slightly less, or only eight infected players.

Dinamo played without Livaković, Petković, Stojanović, Theophile-Catherine, and Ivanušec, while Wolfsberger did not have Liendl, their best player, scorer, and captain.

In the second game of this group, Nikola Vlašić's CSKA Moscow lost 3:1 to Feyenoord.

The home team scored all three goals in just 10 minutes in the middle of the second half - Haps (63), Kokca (71), and Geertruida (72) scored. Senesi (80) reduced the lead with an own goal for the final 3:1 result.

Dinamo leads the group with five points and a goal difference of 1:0, followed by Wolfsberger and Feyenoord with four points each, while CSKA is last with two points.

In the 4th round in three weeks, Wolfsberger - Dinamo and CSKA - Feyenoord will play.

Source: Rezultati, HRT

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November 4, 2020 - Coach Zoran Mamic and several Dinamo players test positive for COVID-19 ahead of Europa League on Thursday. 

On Tuesday, GNK Dinamo announced that coach Zoran Mamic and one player had tested positive for COVID-19. 

"GNK Dinamo hereby informs the public that COVID-19 testing resulted in one positive first-team player of GNK Dinamo and two members of the professional staff, including the head coach Zoran Mamic.

They felt mild symptoms upon their return from Russia and were referred for testing, which in their case turned out to be positive," Dinamo said in a statement.

Thus, Dinamo will play against Wolfsberger without coach Mamic on Thursday, and he will not be on the bench on Sunday in the home game match against Istria in the 11th round of the HNL. This is followed by a representative break.

Even before the game against CSKA, Dinamo had one infected player who did not travel with the team. Zoran Mamic noticed his first symptoms and fever on Monday, after which he went for testing and was positive.

Dinamo's coach did not appear at the presentation of Dinamo's "No Surrender" foundation, which was held before the news was announced that he was positive. 

But that's not the end of the bad news for Dinamo ahead of their 3rd round Europa League match on Thursday. 

The team was tested for COVID-19 again on Tuesday, according to the regular UEFA protocol. Thus, before the match against Austrian club Wolfsberger, four more players tested positive, bringing the number to five.

"With four positives from before, GNK Dinamo has a total of nine players on the UEFA list who will not play in the match due to COVID-19."

While assistant coach Damir Krznar should have been on the bench to replace Mamic, there has been a change there as well.

"The test results of several professional staff members are also positive, and Alen Peternac will lead the match from the bench," Dinamo announced.

Dinamo will play against Wolfsberger Thursday at 9 pm at Maksimir.

Source: GNK Dinamo website, HRT

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October 7, 2020 - Tickets for Croatia matches against Sweden (October 11) and France (October 14)  at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb will begin on Wednesday, October 7, at 10:00.

The Croatia national football team will play two consecutive Nations League matches, both at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, against Sweden on October 11 at 6 pm, and against France on October 14 at 8:45 pm. Ticket sales for both matches are organized exclusively via the Internet at the following prices:

Tribune west middle lower: 250 kn

Tribune west lower: 150 kn

Tribune west upper: 100 kn

Tribune north lower: 60 kn

Tribune north upper: 60 kn

Ticket sales include e-tickets that the buyer must download online and print out. Only citizens of the Republic of Croatia, regardless of residence address, have the right to purchase by filling in the required personal information.

Due to special epidemiological measures in the stands, one person can buy only two (2) tickets, no less, no more. In addition to their data, the customer also enters data of the other ticket holder, who does not necessarily have to be a citizen of the Republic of Croatia.

The deadline for purchasing tickets online is:

October 11, 2020, until 12:00 for the match against Sweden, or October 14, 2020, until 12:00 for the match against France or until the games are sold out. 

Tickets will be available online on the HNS ticket portal, where you can find detailed information on ticket sales and payment methods.

HNS warns fans that when entering the stadium, the security will check the accuracy of personal data on the tickets. Fans who try to enter the stadium with a ticket in another name will be denied entry. Therefore, fans should not buy tickets from scalpers with someone else's information on the ticket.

As a reminder, UEFA allowed the return of spectators up to 30 percent of the stadium's capacity, which in the case of Maksimir was reduced by closing the east and south stands that were damaged in the earthquake.

Anyone entering the stadium must disinfect their hands as often as possible and maintain the recommended physical distance between themselves and other spectators.

More information can be found on HNS HERE.

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October 4, 2020 - After UEFA decided that fans can return to stadiums at 30% capacity, HNS announces tickets for Croatia matches against Sweden and France in Zagreb. 

HNS announced that following UEFA's decision to allow spectators to fill 30 percent of the stadium's capacity in UEFA competitions, the Executive Board of the Croatian Football Federation decided to use this opportunity and allow spectators to come to the Nations League matches against Sweden, France and Portugal. By UEFA's decision, the arrival of fans to away matches is not allowed.

Croatian fans will once again have the opportunity to watch and support the Croatia national team at home games, after a break of almost a year thanks to COVID-19. The UEFA Executive Board, with the participation of HNS President Davor Suker, decided to allow the national federations to return spectators to a maximum of 30 percent of the available capacity of the stadium.

Although there is little time left for Maksimir Stadium to organize the matches against Sweden (October 11) and France (October 14)  and despite the numerous requirements that the organizer must comply with UEFA, the HNS Executive Board decided that the Federation will do everything for Croatian fans to watch Croatia play in a few weeks. After these games in October, Croatia will host Portugal in Split in November, also with spectators.

Spectators will be able to buy tickets for the West and North stands for the matches against Sweden and France, while the East and South stands will be closed to the public because of the Zagreb earthquake in March.

Ticket prices are as follows:

West middle lower: 250 kuna
West lower: 150 kuna
West upper: 100 kuna
North lower: 60 kuna
North upper: 60 kuna

Tickets can be purchased exclusively online, with ticket printing at home.

At the beginning of next week, HNS will inform the public about the manner and start time of ticket sales. Also, the Federation will inform the public about all organizational details of the match, i.e., strict measures that all spectators will have to follow to protect their health, the health of other spectators and in general - the concept of returning spectators to stadiums.

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March 12, 2020 - The city of Zagreb plans to demolish the existing Dinamo stadium in Maksimir and build a new one with 30,000 seats, with an auxiliary stadium of 3,000 - 4,000 seats, and athletic fields and various outdoor courts alongside the pool complex.

Gol.hr reports that the head of Zagreb's Office for Strategic Planning and Development, Sanja Jerkovic, said Wednesday at the presentation of a public urban-architectural competition program for SRC Svetice that matches at all European and world standards could be played at the new Dinamo stadium, which has not been the case so far.

"As this is an extremely important city facility, it is a priority to embark on the construction of a new stadium systematically. Delaying such a decision has led to a disrupted static state of the stadium and an inability to bring any changes to the standards required by FIFA and UEFA, that is why it is inevitable that we must demolish the current stadium and design a new one,” Jerkovic told reporters.

Asked if Zagreb would be a partner to Dinamo in the construction of the new stadium, she said that "Dinamo and Zagreb are inseparable" and she cannot say anything about the value of the project.

The meeting is one of the last to prepare a call for proposals for an urban-architectural solution for the entire Svetica zone, covering about 23 hectares in the narrow area and 32 hectares in the wider range.

"A new football stadium is planned along with ancillary grounds and office space, and a large athletic grandstand with athletic fields and various outdoor courts will be planned in addition to the pool complex," Jerkovic says.

Because it is one of the most demanding competitions, it will last six months, and Jerkovic believes that by the end of the year, there will be known results. Construction on the new stadium should begin in 2022.

Asked about the planned construction of the football stadium in Kajzerica and Blato, Jerkovic said that these were other projects related to the construction of the national football stadium.

GNK Dinamo President Vlatka Peras recalled that on March 9, the Dinamo Assembly unanimously adopted a decision to demolish the existing Maksimir Stadium structure.

When the Maksimir stadium is demolished, Dinamo will play on Rujevica or at the stadium in Osijek, if it is built by then.

"We are looking forward to a partnership and a new stadium," Peras said, adding that they would like the stadium built as soon as possible, but they can't speculate on whether it will open in 2023 or 2024.

When asked how they would finance the construction of the Dinamo stadium, she said that they had to negotiate a partnership with the City, but they still needed to define it.

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December 11, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Manchester City met for the final Group C game of the Champions League on Wednesday at Maksimir Stadium. 

The Zagreb club had the chance to achieve another incredible result in the final game of the Champions League group stage, though their opponent was no piece of cake - Manchester City. 

Dinamo came out with a lineup boasting Livaković, Stojanović, Ademi (C), Dilaver, Moubandje, Gojak, Moro, Olmo, Kadzior, Oršić, and Petković. Manchester City, on the other hand, came out with Bravo, Cancelo, Garcia, Otamendi (C), Mendy, Rodri, Gündogan, Foden, Silva, Mahrez, and Jesus. One thing was certain - Dinamo needed a win against City to secure a spot in the Round of 16. 

Dinamo and City kicked off at 6:55 on Wednesday to a sold-out Maksimir Stadium - and the atmosphere was buzzing despite the cold. The Zagreb club was aggressive at the start while City held back and waited for a counterattack. 

However, it was Dinamo to shock Zagreb when Olmo scored for 1:0 in the 10th minute! The goal certainly woke City up, and they continued to press aggressively for the next 20 minutes. Dinamo’s defense remained stable, that is until the 34th minute when Gabriel Jesus scored the equalizer. The game was now 1:1.

Moments before the half, Gojak's nasty elbow to Rodrigo's cheek should have been a red card, though the ref failed to consult VAR - and Dinamo was lucky.

All in all, Dinamo played bravely throughout the half and managed to hold their own. The game ended 1:1 at the half. 

The second half, unfortunately, didn't get off to the best start for the Zagreb side. Already in the 50th minute, Jesus scored for 1:2 City - and four minutes after that, Jesus secured a hat trick for 1:3. 

City made their first change in the 66th minute - Zinchenko came in for Gabriel Jesus, the hero of the night.

City maintained 71% possession of the game, and it wasn't long for them to score again. Foden made it 1:4 in the 83rd minute. 

With this loss against City and Atalanta's win against Shakhtar, Dinamo has been eliminated from the Champions League and will not compete in the Europa League this spring. 

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

December 10, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb is facing Premier League champions Manchester City in the final group stage game of the Champions League on Wednesday. The only way for the Croatian side to join their visitors in the Champions League round of 16 is to beat them while Shakhtar mustn’t win at home against Atalanta. 

Over the weekend, Nenad Bjelica’s side won 1:0 on Friday against Varazdin and extended their league lead over second-placed Hajduk to nine points, while City lost 2:1 at home to their city rivals Manchester United and are now 14 points behind Liverpool who sit comfortably at the top. Despite the bad form in the Premier League, Pep Guardiola’s team is still considered to be one of the favorites to win the Champions League this season, so a hard task is in front Dinamo who have not won in the competition since a 4:0 home success against Atalanta on Matchday 1. 

While Dinamo is unbeaten in ten home European fixtures, a 2:1 defeat of Arsenal in Zagreb in September 2015 is Dinamo's only win against an English club in 12 previous fixtures, home and away with three successive defeats preceding the victory against the Gunners. Even though City have secured the top spot of Group C, Guardiola insists it will be senior first-team players who will feature in Croatia rather than the kids. 

"[Two years ago] we traveled to Shakhtar already qualified, we fought until the end, 2:0 down and then 2:1, we had chances at the end. We’re going to travel with the intention to win, but you need a real urgency to do that, but to respect Shakhtar and Atalanta we have to do it." 

When the Citizens and Dinamo went head to head at the Etihad in October, the Premier League champions fought hard for the 2:0 victory and scored the only goals of the game through the substitutes Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden in the second half. The brave display of Bjelica’s side away from home against one of the best teams in the world could mean that there is still hope for an upset in Zagreb. 

Furthermore, Dinamo have lost only one home game since April 2018 (W36 D6), the 2:1 loss to Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg in August 2018, but City are unbeaten in Group C so far, though two consecutive draws have taken the shine off their initial dominance in the tournament. On paper, it might seem like an easy task for City, but with the help from a sold-out crowd of almost 30,000 Dinamo might have the final word. 

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

November 25, 2019 - The 16th round of the Croatian First League was held from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24. This round featured the never disappointing ‘Eternal Derby’ between Dinamo and Hajduk. 

Dinamo v. Hajduk (1:1)

Dinamo and Hajduk opened the 16th round at Maksimir stadium on Friday, November 22, 2019, in front of 15,757 fans. 

Dinamo was quick to score thanks to an own goal by Hajduk defender Ismajli in the 12th minute for 1:0. However, a penalty awarded to Hajduk just before the half saw Mijo Caktas score for 1:1. 

Neither team was able to score in the second half, and Hajduk resisted Dinamo’s intense pressure throughout the game, even though they were without several of their key players on Friday. 

Dinamo is currently in first place with 35 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 31. 

Gorica v. Varazdin (1:0)

Gorica and Varazdin met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in front of 1,272 fans. 

The first half went without goals, and Gorica’s Ndiaye scored only in the 57th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 25 points, while Varazdin is in 10th place with 11. 

Slaven Belupo v. Lokomotiva (1:0)

Belupo and Lokomotiv met on Saturday, November 23, 2019, in Koprivnica in front of 754 fans. 

It was another low scoring game of the 16th round, which saw Belupo’s Krstanovic score in the 17th minute for 1:0, which was the final score of the game.

Belupo is currently in 7th place with 15 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th place with 25. 

Osijek v. Istra 1961 (1:0)

Osijek and Istra met on Sunday, November 24, 2019, at City Garden Stadium in front of 2,455 fans. 

While the game saw Istra’s Pavic receive a double yellow in the 52nd minute, forcing Istra to play with a man down from the 52nd minute, the first and only goal of the game came in the 5th minute of added time (95') thanks to Osijek’s Maric for 1:0. 

Osijek is currently in 3rd place with 26 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12. 

Inter Zapresic v. Rijeka (1:4)

Inter and Rijeka met in Zagreb to close out the 16th round on Sunday, November 25, 2019, in front of 820 fans. 

Rijeka scored all four goals in the first half, thanks to Andrijasevic (6’), Colak (23’, 28’), and Gorgon (32’). Inter’s Soldo was able to get one for the home team in the first minute of added time for 1:4. 

Inter is currently in 9th place with 11 points, while Rijeka is in 4th with 25. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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November 6, 2019 - Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhar met in the dramatic fourth round of Champions League Group C on Wednesday at Maksimir stadium in Zagreb. 

Dinamo Zagreb met Shakhtar on Wednesday for perhaps the most crucial match in the club’s recent history. A win would carry Dinamo on the road to the round of the 16. 

Ahead of Wednesday’s games, Manchester City led Group C with nine points. Dinamo and Shakhtar shared second place with four points each, with the Croatian champion having a better goal-differential, while Atalanta was in the last place. 

Dinamo came out with their full lineup on Wednesday, featuring Livakovic in goal, Theophile-Catherine, Dilvaer, and Perić in the defense, Stojanovic, Olmo, Moro, Ademi (captain), and Leovac in the midfield, and Orsic and Petkovic up top. 

Shakhtar was the first to threaten Dinamo when Taison fired from 20 meters out, though the ball went past the right of the goal. Shakhtar looked stronger from the start, and their momentum carried them to the first goal of the game. In the 13th minute, Alan Patrick scored for 0:1 Shakhtar. 

Dinamo’s first real chance of the game came in the 19th minute when an excellent through ball by Theophile-Catherine found the boot of Petkovic on the penalty area, though Petkovic shot weakly at the keeper. 

Petkovic’s chance came not long after, and a brilliant cross from Theophile-Catherine found Petkovic’s head for the equalizer. The game was 1:1 in the 25th minute.

Dinamo was awarded a free-kick from 20 meters out in the 33rd minute, though Orsic hit high over the goal. The Zagreb club was playing more open and calm after they equalized, and were continuing to threaten Shakthar’s goal. 

But Shakhtar wasn’t shying away from Dinamo’s goal either. Another chance for Alan Patrick resulted in a corner, though Shakhtar failed to capitalize. 

Two penalties were in question for Dinamo moments later, though referee Felix Brych called for the game to play on, which put Dinamo’s team and bench in hysterics. The game ended 1:1 at the half accompanied by the whistles of Dinamo fans.

The second half began with no changes on either side. 

Dinamo came out attacking at the start of the second half though Shakhtar’s defense remained solid. A dangerous Shakhtar attack in the 58th minute proved unsuccessful, though a quick counter by Dinamo saw Leovac hit the crossbar. 

Moraes shot on goal for Shakhtar in the 71st, though Livakovic had no difficulties defending. Dinamo made their first substitution in the 71st minute - Ivanusec came on for Stojanovic. 

But Dinamo’s luck wore thin just a few minutes later when Nikola Moro was given his second yellow card of the game. Dinamo had to play with a man down from the 73rd minute. 

A quick attack by Shakhtar almost resulted in their second goal of the match, though the game remained 1:1. 

However, Dinamo had their dose of luck in the 79th minute when Moraes was shown his second yellow of the match. Both teams were playing with ten men for the final 10 minutes. It didn't take long for the momentum of the game to change.

Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica confirmed he made the right call by subbing in Ivanusec in the second half, who went to score his first-ever Champions League goal in the 83rd minute for the Dinamo lead. The game was now 2:1. 

But Dinamo wasn't done yet. An incredible play by Dani Olmo found Ademi across the box for 3:1 in the 89th minute! The referee added five minutes of injury time.

Shakhtar managed their second goal in the third minute of injury time for 3:2, and a dramatic final minute saw Shakhtar awarded a penalty, which Tete scored for the equalizer. The game ended 3:3 in Zagreb. 

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