December 9, 2020 - Building a Croatia national team stadium is back on the table. Representatives of HNS, the City of Zagreb, and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport weigh in on what's next.

Index.hr reports that on HRT's show Otvoreno on Tuesday evening, the topic was constructing a Croatia national stadium.

The guests of the show were the executive director of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) Marijan Kustić, former footballer and president of the football union Dario Šimić, state secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports Tomislav Družak, director of the Institute for Physical Planning of the City of Zagreb Ivica Rovis and HRT sports commentator Stjepan Balog.

For footballers, the issue of the national stadium has become offensive

Dario Šimić was the most specific about the construction of the new stadium.

"I'm worried that we are repeating ourselves. We have to wait a long time for the paperwork; it takes two to three years before the construction itself. We can realistically expect that stadium in 2030. We are doing the show, we have done it before, but this issue of the national stadium has already become offensive for us footballers," said Šimić, after which Marijan Kustić took the floor.

Funding football infrastructure is not the job of the Federation

"I would like Dinamo representatives to be here with us. They are mostly in that part of the agreement with the City. I hope it won't take us nine years to build a stadium. People are upset that we are talking about a national stadium. We are talking about the stadium in Zagreb, and the people from Dinamo were supposed to be here. The plan should go ahead as soon as possible. I think that something bad needs to happen at Maksimir stadium to start something," Kustić explained and continued.

"In the last few years, we have invested over 70 million kuna in stadiums through the HNS Executive Board, which should be the duty of clubs and cities. That is why we are constantly initiating investment in infrastructure. This is not the Federation's job, and I do not see which federation in Croatia and Europe invests so much in sports infrastructure. Dario Simic said it well; a man shudders when he sees what kind of stadium we have in Zagreb."

If the decision is not made immediately, nothing will be initiated

Šimić replied to Kustić.

"The society and the 1,500 clubs in Croatia deserve better infrastructure. If we don't start now and make a decision right away, nothing will start. Everything else is frustrating and sad."

State Secretary Tomislav Družak also joined the discussion

"A meeting of HNS, the City of Zagreb and Dinamo was organized two months ago. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport is initiating the construction of the stadium. We will not be financiers; we can participate in projects and give ideas, which can be the way. If the City wants to build a stadium, it has to find a model in which Dinamo will participate. They need to be asked something. Croatia needs a multifunctional and self-sustaining stadium that will not take taxpayers' money," Družak said.

In the end, host Damir Smrtić asked Marijan Kustić if HNS would implement a hybrid lawn at Poljud.

"A letter was sent to Hajduk today. Next Tuesday is a meeting with Hajduk regarding the construction of a hybrid pitch," Kustić concluded.

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

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.

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

August 30, 2020 - HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustic explained the current situation in HNS, after they announced that members of the U-21 national team staff are coronavirus-positive.

Gol.hr reports that COVID-19 has entered the Croatian Football Federation. HNS issued a statement on Saturday:

"Two members of the youth national team staff, including coach Igor Biscan, are positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus (without symptoms), so the current coach will not lead the U-21 national team at the upcoming September gathering.

Due to close contact with the infected, other members of Biscan's staff, in addition to Renato Pilipovic, have to go into self-isolation for 14 days,” reads the HNS statement, among other things.

Nova TV reporter Milan Stjelja discussed the topic with HNS executive director Marijan Kustic.

"For the sake of prevention, we tested the staff of the senior and youth national teams. Unfortunately, we have now heard that the coach of the U-21 national team, Igor Biscan, is positive for the coronavirus, as well as another member of the staff. We heard from each other on several occasions today, Igor has no symptoms, but the result is positive, so he and his staff have to go to self-isolation for 14 days due to close contact,” Kustic said in the introduction.

The young national team will play two important matches in the Euro U-21 qualifiers at the beginning of September. Who will replace Biscan on the bench?

"We only had consultations today, in which Biscan also participated by phone. We agreed that the U-17 national team coach Tomislav Rukavina and the HNS chief instructor Petar Krpan would take over.“

Luckily, there are no positive results in the headquarters of the senior national team.

"It is gratifying, the entire staff headed by coach Dalic is negative. For the sake of prevention, we tested everything so as not to get into a situation where the virus, God forbid, spreads at the gathering, to bring playing the matches into question.”

What about the players?

"They must come to the gathering with negative results that must not be older than 72 hours."

Certainly of interest to the Croatian public is the HNS decision to play an exhibition match in Donji Miholjac between the veterans of Jedinstvo and veterans of the Croatia national team, which also featured the president of the Federation Davor Suker, with a limited audience.

When we know that HNS decided to play the end of the season without spectators, and there are currently no spectators in the new season,  was the wrong step taken?

"I can only say that the club Jedinstvo from Donji Miholjac, on the occasion of their anniversary, asked veterans of the Croatia national team to come and enhance their jubilee. Of course, before that, they had a meeting with the local Civil Protection Headquarters, with the obligation to respect all epidemiological measures. I am convinced that this was the case,"  concluded Kustic.

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August 5, 2020 - Executive director of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustic, spoke about the just-finished season, the Cup final, the playoffs, referees and VAR, the national team and coach Zlatko Dalic, the junior championship that stirred relations with Hajduk, and other current events in his latest interview. 

The interview with Lovorko Magdic is transmitted in full, as reported by HRT:

The end of the season is just around the corner, as are the playoffs for the First HNL. What is your impression of the Cup final?

"I am happy that the final of this year's Cup was played in Kresimir's city, the city of the greatest athlete in the history of Croatia, Drazen Petrovic. I think that the match between Rijeka and Lokomotiva took place in a nice atmosphere. The slightly luckier team won, and I am really happy and proud that everything went well and that nothing happened after the game," says Kustic.

At one time during the corona era, there were spectators, now again, there are not.

"We monitor the epidemiological situation on a daily basis, and we simply did not want to get into a situation where we do not start the new competition season, which starts very soon. That is why we decided that there will be no spectators in the last round, in the Cup final and the qualifying matches of Istria and Orient, and we will most likely start the new championship also without spectators. With the current decision, the Nation's League is also played without spectators, which is why we decided to play the national team matches in Zagreb."

HNS quickly adapted to the health situation in Croatia and the world regarding football competitions in the country.

"As soon as we got into this situation with the coronavirus, we set up a working group, with doctors, epidemiologists and our people who run competitions within HNS. We followed the everyday situation, so we made decisions. When we stopped competing, few believed that we would bring the season to an end, which was perhaps the most interesting since the founding and independence of Croatia, because the order on the table was not known until the last round."

Your impression of the referees?

"There are always those who are satisfied and dissatisfied. Our goal was to introduce a VAR system; with this, we wanted to reduce errors to a minimum. What we always like to say is that we don’t want tails to be chased after games, but we can state that the reffing was very good. The application of VAR proved to be a great hit, we are satisfied and happy, we need even more education, and over time it will improve."

The playoffs for the First HNL used to be very interesting, the fight between the First League ninth place and second-place finishers from the Second League. Have the playoff matches lost their competitive charm?

"All these qualifying matches have their charm and I hope that there will be great matches in the future as well. Most importantly, it was shown in the 1st HNL that by investing in infrastructure and building better and better pitches, we have better and better games, more goals, fewer cards and fewer injuries to players."

The first league is more and more stable, even more interesting in the media, and a new agreement on media rights is on that track.

"That is great for Croatian football, for Croatian clubs. All funds will be directed to clubs, the first league, women's league, futsal league. It’s a big step forward, especially in this situation, because it’s not easy for clubs to raise funding to sustain and endure an entire season."

Will the second division endure all the turbulence currently happening?

"I deeply hope it will. The other day we had an assembly of clubs in the Second League, and as the Federation, we will also participate when it comes to financial assistance in paying club fees, with some 90 thousand kuna per club. We are doing everything to help the clubs, and we will do it in the future as well. Our goal is for the clubs to survive, not to shut down."

Onto the Croatia national team - the start of the Nations League is in September, is the start of this competition in any way in danger?

"The dates are known, and at this moment the decision is such that there will be no spectators, so it was much more practical and simple to organize in Zagreb, so the matches will be played in Zagreb for now."

The contract with coach Zlatko Dalic has been renewed.

"From the beginning, we said that there would be no problems, it was a mutual wish and we are looking forward to our further cooperation and the success of the Croatia national team."

There were many different comments, arguments and justifications about the final of the Croatian Junior Championship.

"I have repeatedly stated my opinion on this. Decisions were made, we asked for the opinion of Uefa, which said its own and presented the practice on which the countries in Europe were based when it comes to the same or similar issues regarding the conclusion and selection of clubs for European competitions. Before the final decision was defined, we consulted with them and sent a letter to them. We have acted according to the practice in Europe, although I have stated before that it is always best to solve it on the pitch, but such decisions are always the most difficult to make."

The Executive Director of HNS also commented on the work of the health commission headed by Dr. Dragan Primorac.

"Truly all praise to our health committee and the working group that is working hard on it. I hope that the new tests will not have any coronavirus-positives, so as not to get into a situation where we have to question play and regularity."

HNS's cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, whose new member is former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, is intensifying.

"Congratulations to her once again on her election, it is a great success to be elected to such a body. As for the cooperation itself, we are working on its improvement, not only in the interest of HNS, but in the interest of all federations in Croatia. We have intensified this collaboration over the last year. I will be a representative in the Assembly of the Croatian Olympic Committee on behalf of HNS, so I am looking forward to working with Mr. Zlatko Mates. I hope that we will all work together for the benefit of Croatian sport."

In the two years since Croatia played the World Cup final, when you say that you are the executive director of HNS, or that you come from Croatia, how much has the attitude of people from abroad changed?

"It has certainly changed; it should not be emphasized much. Whatever country you go to, everyone mentions Modric and our other players - this is the biggest promotion of Croatia in the world. Looking at our cooperation with other federations in general (basketball, handball ...), I think that we should all work together for the benefit of Croatia with the Law on Sports and the Financing of Sports. If we all work together in that direction, we will make a big step forward. I hope that the future will be better and brighter for sports in general," concluded Marijan Kustic.

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

September 28, 2019-  Marijan Kustic was spotted in Split again. The HNS executive director leads the team in charge of organizing the highly anticipated Croatia-Hungary match at Poljud, and preparations are in full swing.

Slobodna Dalmacija caught Kustic ten days before the spectacle to see if everything was going according to plan. 

“Arrangements have entered the technical phase, related to security and ensuring all the preconditions for the great spectacle that awaits us. Nothing is out of the ordinary.”

Will security be especially emphasized?

“Everything is going at the usual pace, as is usually the case with big games like this. We conducted a series of interviews and agreements with representatives of the Police Department and the Police Directorate, as well as security companies. HNS always insists on the highest level of preparation regarding all aspects of the organization, including security.”

Rumor has it that Hungarian President Viktor Orban will also be in attendance?

“At this moment, we are not able to provide such information, but when these games are at stake, it is common and expected that political leaders come. Sandor Csanyi, president of OTP Bank, which has its bank in Split, and sponsors of Hajduk, should also attend.

Accordingly, we can also expect President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

I would not announce anything, and I would like to focus on the massive interest of our fans, who generally rule this game.”

Is Kustic surprised by the incredible interest of Split?

“Everyone at HNS and the people involved in the organization are genuinely delighted that Split and Dalmatia have embraced the arrival of our team at Poljud. Honestly, we all hoped for it together, but that the stadium would be sold out in a day or two, it still exceeded my optimistic expectations. And because of that, we look forward to this great game with even more impatience.”

How many tickets were actually sold?

“The capacity is about 33,000 tickets, but the interest was so high that we would sell twice as many tickets if we had the capacity. If tickets were only for sale online, they would be gone in three hours! It’s good that there were old-fashioned sales, too, so the people of Split had the opportunity to get these valuable tickets live. Poljud is sold out.”

How many tickets were set aside that didn’t go on sale to the public?

“It is logical that for the needs of the staff and football players, a small portion of the tickets was set aside. But it is a negligible figure. I tell you, we were pleasantly surprised by the interest, Dalmatia and Split want the Croatia national team. They can hardly wait! This gives everyone in and around HNS the right to be optimistic in the future. I must point out here that this is proof that the HNS Executive Board made the right decision when it decided that Croatia would come to Split. Dalmatia wants the Croatia national team at Poljud!”

Will there be a lot of security around and at the stadium?

“Tickets are personalized and we can announce today that it would be good to get to the stadium on time. Ticket holders will also need to show their ID and ensure that their last name matches the one on the ticket. I invite everyone to follow the instructions of the organizers and the police, so that everyone can enjoy the football and sports spectacle that awaits us together.”

What does Split Mayor Opara have to say?

“We are negotiating everything with the City and everything is flowing normally, without interruptions. On behalf of HNS, the national team and all of us, I would like to thank the Mayor and his associates who are available to us.”

No financial terms have been published?

“It is important to emphasize that HNS bears all costs of the organization. And we are happy that as a Federation we have the conditions to bear such costs. Finances are always important, but this is a match that is more than that and every kuna that is invested makes sense and will be well invested and will be returned not only financially but also intangibly.”

Supposedly, Split is receiving about half a million kuna from the Federation?

“The city will receive its financial part, but the city will receive much more. It will be the center of Croatia that day, gathering tens of thousands of people. The accommodation, the venues, the restaurants, they will all be full of work. One has to look at events like this much wider than the match itself.”

There was a lot of talk (or quarrel) about the arrival of the national team in Split, at Poljud, mostly because of the situation with Hajduk.

“The decision, you see, turned out to be good, a big hit. People want Croatia in Split. The choice of the HNS Executive Board, with which I share the view, is that the national team travels to Croatia and thus to Split. These are all our cities, they have played and will play in Osijek, Varazdin, Rijeka, Pula. Only one game in the qualifying cycle was played in Zagreb against Azerbaijan, and the rest throughout Croatia. So we came to Split. And we will again! This is just the first in a new series.

Have HNS and Hajduk turned a new page?

“All of us at HNS are genuinely trying to bring in a lot of energy to make things right and to start normalizing all relationships. Is it any more normal than having the national team play at least one official qualifying match in Split? I would also like to thank the HNS Executive Board for making this decision and supporting everything. The tickets are sold out and I am convinced of the spectacle!”

Is Hajduk still not involved in the organization of the match?

“They are not and we regret it. I'm sorry that Hajduk stayed out. The national team is sacred and I would not interfere with the Federation when it comes to the national team. But I'm optimistic by nature, so I'm always looking forward. We raised certain issues in our discussions with Hajduk. I believe that the normalization will continue when the match against Hungary is over. And some good things will remain for Hajduk after this game, even though they are not participating in the organization.”

Does Hajduk still have a chance to be involved in organizing the game against Hungary?

“They are always welcome, certainly. But I don't think that's realistic to expect now. It is their decision and I am sorry that they feel that way, which I have already mentioned. I emphasize that our doors will always be open for cooperation between Hajduk and all other clubs. At this point, the audience's interest in the match is what thrills me. The interest is such that we would sell out three Poljud stadiums!”

And what happens when the game against Hungary ends?

“Talks with Hajduk on all outstanding issues are continuing, the story remains, and the team will come to Split again. We want this to become the rule so I can say that we will see you in Split in the next qualification cycle. We will not stop now. We will continue to play all over Croatia, and we will be at Poljud again.”

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

August 20, 2019 - Davor Šuker, the president of the Croatian Football Federation (HNS), may not see the end of 2019 in that role.

According to a top source from HNS, Croatian media reported that Šuker was turned down by members of the Executive Board who rejected his proposal to remove Nenad Gračan as the coach of the Under-21 national team, and replace him with Goran Tomić, the current coach of Lokomotiva, writes Index.hr and 24 Sata. 

All 12 HNS Executive Board members said "no" to Šuker's proposal. Marijan Kustić is expected to take Šuker’s spot, as he has been destined for that position since he first started working in Croatian football.

Former HDZ MP Marijan Kustić joined the Croatian Football Federation quietly as Damir Mišković’s candidate for president of the Federation in the election Šuker won at the time. But from day one, it has been clear that Kustić is a strong political figure, Plenković’s man for special tasks like Lika, where he fought for power with Darko Milinović, and was also the leader of the political project that is returning the Croatia national team to Split.

It quickly became apparent that Kustić was assuming the role of the top operative in the Federation, where Šuker was only the president on paper.

Marijan Kustić was the most prominent member of the HNS delegation who arrived to negotiate with Hajduk, and who said that major changes were taking place in Croatian football. Namely, it was inconceivable that the official premises of Poljud were once again friendly to Damir Mišković, Ante Kulusić, Ante Vučemilović and everyone else that made Hajduk boycott the Federation. 

Of course, Davor Šuker, the actual HNS president, was the only one not to visit Poljud.

Recall, Davor Šuker returned to Croatian football as Zdravko Mamić’s candidate in the scandalous elections for the president of HNS in 2010, when Vlatko Marković became a fictitious president, while Mamić was the absolute boss. Igor Štimac was his opponent, and the night before the election, Mamić pulled out Šuker as an ace up his sleeve. In his Bentley, Mamić brought Šuker to the polls as a special HNS guest.

Davor Šuker remains the president of HNS to this day, but his influence is diminishing as Damir Mišković and HDZ strengthen. Meanwhile, Šuker was stripped of his ability to sign major financial contracts by the Executive Board, which was also a sign that he did not rule the Federation any longer.

More on this story soon. 

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

“Taking a step towards overcoming disagreements.” Thus, in one sentence, the meeting was presented - a sort of détente on the relationship between HNS and Hajduk. 

On the premises of HNS, on the 11th floor of the Green Gold Tower in Zagreb, representatives of the Split Club (attended by the head of the Administration Marin Brbić, and president of the Supervisory Board Benjamin Perasović) visited HNS Executive Director Marijan Kustić a few weeks back. You can read Hajduk's description of the meeting here.

Today, however, Slobodna Dalmacija conducted an interview with Kustić about his details on May 14, 2019. 

“I thank the leaders of Hajduk that have come to HNS and expressed their readiness to resolve all disputes and misunderstandings through dialogue. Our conversation was based primarily on building new relationships with honesty. We discussed the conversation in three points: we discussed reforms, development plans of HNS and, of course, the qualification match against Hungary in Split,” said Kustić.

Does asking for "wholehearted commitment to change and reform" insist on removing Damir Vrbanović and Bruno Marić from influential duties in HNS and re-establishing the Association of First League Clubs?

“We did not talk at these levels. Reform is not the move of a single man. It is a process that is felt in all the work of the Federation. The fact that since my arrival at HNS, seventy new people are involved in various commissions, as the auxiliary bodies of the Executive Committee, clearly indicate a new way of the Federation. I think that's what the people of Hajduk accepted."

How real is restoring the Association of First League Clubs?

“The Association of First League Clubs was abolished by the clubs themselves. They can also renew it again. HNS does not want to interfere with club relationships. The Federation can only initiate a meeting on that topic.”

Hajduk already announced specific demands, "the seven sacraments," which they consider necessary to establish "diplomatic relations" with HNS.

“There was no talk of this at the meeting. We talked about the points I mentioned. I do not know what we will discuss at the second meeting, which should take place in Split at the end of this month, but my impression is that there is a sincere will on both sides to overcome all misunderstandings.”

Will the Euro 2020 qualifying match between Croatia and Hungary on October 10, 2019, take place in Split?

“I am very optimistic about the realization of that idea. We also organized a training match of the Croatia national team in Omiš, as a kind of return of the national team in Dalmatia.”

The Split mayor Andro Krstulović Opara also attended the HNS and Hajduk meeting. His presence, as well as the statements of state leaders, suggest that bringing the national team back to Poljud is a political issue.

"I would not say that the game in Split against Hungary is a political question. The national team playing in the second largest city in Croatia is primarily a sporting interest. I think all people in Croatia want the football team to play in Split as well. Sport is an essential segment of society because it connects and unites people.

The fact that the meeting was attended by Split mayor Andro Krstulović Opara is quite logical. The city of Split is the majority owner of Hajduk and Poljud. It is therefore quite understandable that it would be involved and take part in solving all the problems. You do not have to worry about the help of politics when you mention problems. All help should be accepted, which will enable us to make the sport better and at a higher qualitative level.”

However, building a national stadium is certainly a political issue. At what stage of the realization is the trilateral agreement between the government, the City of Zagreb and HNS regarding the "Blato project"? Recall, after the HNS Assembly, president Davor Šuker announced the idea of building a stadium in Zagreb in Blato, behind the unfinished University hospital.

“I don’t want to talk about the national stadium. This creates distress in people. HNS's primary intentions are to represent the national team across the country, where conditions exist for that. Preferably, in modern stadiums. Therefore, HNS will support every initiative to improve infrastructure and support the construction of stadiums in Rijeka and Osijek, and renewing Poljud.

There is a problem around the stadium in Zagreb. I think Dinamo and the capital of the Republic of Croatia deserve an adequate stadium. President Šuker made a statement about the project as he is directly involved in it. If there is any news related to this project, HNS will certainly release it to the Croatian public.”

Should HNS ever build a national stadium when clubs (like Istria, Rijeka, Osijek, Dinamo...) have their own individual projects?

“The National Football Federation is not a construction company and will not build stadiums but will support any investment in infrastructure. Last year, the Federation invested in reconstructing First-League pitches, which proved to be an excellent project. Football in HNL today is much better than before.”

HNS leaders have been discussing the need for a stadium for twenty years. The last great stadium in Croatia was built forty years ago in Split for the needs of the Mediterranean Games. But when the Chinese Z-RUN consortium appeared and offered a sports complex worth 150 million euros, HNS showed no interest. Why?

“The Chinese entered business with Velika Gorica. So far, only a memorandum of cooperation has been signed. The realization of the project is a long time away. Time will show what will happen. HNS has nothing against this project. Anyway, we would love to do it. Finally, the memorandum was signed by the Football Federation of the County of Zagreb, and they are a member of HNS.”

TCN has translated excerpts from Slobodna Dalmacija, but you can read the full interview with Marijan Kustić on Slobodna Dalmacija here. 

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

On Monday, Marijan Kustić, the executive director of HNS, met with representatives of Hajduk and the Split mayor in Zagreb. 

On Thursday, the HNS Assembly was regularly held where the Executive Committee named the new Executive Director of the Croatian Football Federation. The director of Competition and Infrastructure, Marijan Kustić, succeeded Damir Vrbanović, whose mandate expired, reports Gol.hr on March 28, 2019. 

"I am grateful to President Šuker and the Executive Committee for the trust they have given me, and I will do my utmost to do my job well," said the new Executive Director who is now officially the second man in HNS.

When asked whether this was a significant change in the Federation, Kustić answered:

''I have my way of working, of evaluating myself.”

Davor Šuker also announced that a national stadium would certainly be built Blato, Zagreb. 

"Let everyone do their part of the job and I hope we will soon have a wonderful stadium, and the ideal location is Blato. We are going step by step, but are working on all factors together. We can also get the funds from Uefa and Fifa, we know the costs according to their standards,” Šuker emphasized.

The HNS president stressed that there has been a lot of talk about infrastructure lately, but now things have calmed down. 

“I talked a lot about infrastructure, and now things have calmed. The stadium will be built. We want to offer our guests at least the minimum we receive when we play away, as clubs and the national team,” he said.

He also added that HNS would help Hajduk around Poljud.

"Moving forward with the stadium in Zagreb means thinking about what we will do with Poljud; we want Osijek, Rijeka and Split to be satisfied with the new stadium. We will also help Poljud, and we will talk about the ways and the money."

Kustić also presented his take on the stadium. 

“Nothing is definite. There is still a lot in combination, as we are talking to Gorica and others. But the team will continue to play throughout Croatia, that's my attitude,” Kustić said. 

Hajduk representatives attended the HNS Assembly in Zagreb as passive observers. Hajduk was represented by sports director Saša Bjelanović and head of the Academy Krešimir Gojun, as President Marin Brbić had other business obligations, reports Dalmacija Danas.

The Hajduk representatives said they opposed the financial report and the amendments to the HNS statute, as well as the construction of the national stadium. Recall, the 2018 financial report revealed that from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2018, the Croatian Football Federation achieved revenues of HRK 435.5 million and expenditures amounting to HRK 371.6 million, and achieved an excess revenue of over HRK 63.8 million. Excess revenue will be used in years when there is no final competition, or when the Federation achieves a deficit of revenue over expenditures.

"At this point, we think we are not rich enough to invest in such a thing. Hajduk is opposed to building a national stadium. Our position is that it is better to invest in camps and local infrastructure because there have been a lot of missed investments in the past, and we know who is paying for it,” they said. 

"To build a stadium that we would play at once a month or once every three months is completely pointless. I also think that we are not a rich nation that can afford a national stadium. There is no need for that. It would be better to build camps so that our kids have somewhere to play,” Hajduk concluded. 

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