December 10, 2019 - In Group A of the LEN Champions League on Monday, Jug AO lost 6:5 to Olympiacos in Piraeus (0:2, 2:1, 2:2, 1:1), while in Group B, Mladost recorded a victory in Zagreb against Marseille 12:11 (4:0, 3:5, 3:1, 2:5).

HRT writes that with this Olympiacos win against Jug in the 7th round, the Greek club remains undefeated in Group A, while Vjekoslav Kobescak’s team recorded their second defeat in the Champions League this season and now have four points less than Olympiacos in first. 

Jug conceded just six goals during the match and Toni Popadic made many as 14 saves. However, that was not enough for the Croatian champion to score at least a point in Piraeus.

The home side entered the game better and after the first quarter, they led 2:0. Olympiacos scored their third goal in the second quarter, and Jug scored their first goal after 12 minutes, reducing the lead to 3:1. In the middle of the third quarter, Jug equalized to 4:4, but it didn’t take long for Olympiacos to lead 6:4. Jug was able to narrow the final score down to 6:5.

Jug had a last-minute attack with an extra man, but failed to equalize.

Konstantinos Mourikis led Olympiacos with two goals and Maro Jokovic, Ivan Buljubasic, Emmanouil Mylonakis and Konstantinos Genidounias also scored.

Jug saw five different shooters, with goals scored by Daniil Mekulov, Alex Papanastasiou, Hrvoje Benic, Paulo Obradovic and Loren Fatovic.

This final Champions League game is followed by an almost two-month break due to representative commitments (Junior World Championships and Senior European Championships).  The next Champions League round will be played on February 4, 2020, when Olympiakos arrives in Dubrovnik.

The second Croatian representative in Group A, Split Jadran, will play their 7th round game on December 13 at home against Barceloneta.

In Group B, Mladost achieved a huge victory by defeating Marseille. Mladost tops the French club by four points with this victory, gaining a considerable advantage over the direct competitor to qualify for the final tournament.

Mladost opened the game brilliantly and led 4:0 after the first quarter. Marseille reduced their lead to 4:2 in the second leg, and at the end of that stretch, it was 6:5. The Zagreb club scored two for 7:5, and Marseille managed to reduce the score again to -1 (7:6). 

With three goals, Mladost led 10:6, and at the start of the last quarter, with two more goals, they reached a massive advantage of 12:6. While the winner nearly seemed settled then, the French club returned with five goals to bring the result down to 12:11.

Mladost was led by Cosmin Radu, Luka Bukic and Konstantin Kharkov with three goals each, while Ugo Crousillat with three goals was most effective for Marseille. 

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. 

December 10, 2019 - At the brand new International Business Hotel in Zagreb, not far from Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman airport, Jakopić wines from the Međimurje region were recently presented in all their rather unexpected glory. Especially for those who haven’t been previously acquainted with this extraordinary winery and its products. 

The owner, Branimir Jakopić was present, but the tasting paired with food was conducted by the internationally renowned sommelier Siniša Lasan, presently working in Dubrovnik’s Proto restaurant. This was an evening, or rather, afternoon, not a dinner – not a conventional tasting – but an interesting combination between a modern and brand new business hotel, great Jakopić wines and delicious food signed by the talented chef Hrvoje Nakića. Actually, a unique and hedonistic prelude to the X-mas atmosphere ahead of us. 

The wine varieties that have been presented were mostly typical Međimurje wines like Pušipel but also Graševina, Rajnski Riesling, Sauvignon, Silvanac zeleni and Muškat žuti were on offer. Jakopić wines have already been internationally recognized in the last three years - as top quality wines and awarded with platinum and gold at Decanter World Wine Awards, so it was worth a try! It has to be said that the tastes and aromas of this very impressive tasting were appreciated by the audience consisting exclusively of connaisseurs and wines professionals, wine critics and journalists.

This was largely thanks to the professional and inspiring presentation by Siniša Lasan (ASI Gold Certificate, Advanced Sommelier, CMS, WSET 3) who was also national sommelier champion in Croatia (2019., 2017.and 2014.) and who more than successfully managed to convey all the nuances of the wines presented. First, as an aperitif, the sparling Jakopić wine by the name Jakopić Terbotz 2018 was presented (and admired by the majority of the guests) – as well as Jakopić Mlado Međimurje 2019 wine.

The modern and very light Pušipel Classic 2018, with prevailing aromas of green apple, citrus and tropical fruit was a nice match for gambero rosso, cucumber in rice vinegar, tapioca cracker and lime.  The freshness and minerality of Jakopić Sauvignon 2017 were nicely and masterfully pronounced when served along with octopus, tomato gel, parsley oil and a special cream made of garlic cooked seven times. Chef Hrvoje Nakić served veal risotto, parmesan cracker capers alongside Jakopić Rosé 2017, beautiful wine with the aromas of strawberry, violet and berries. Jakopić Rajnski riesling 2016, with slight petroleum notes but fruity in its character was a nice companion to dumplings made of beef cheeks, liquid potatoes and homemade potato chips.

With the desert, a reduction of raspberry vinegar, rose pepper, grilled goat curd and raspberry jam – mature, wine Jakopić Muškat žuti 2017 was served and everybody agreed on its honey, yellow flowers, peach and apricot aromas and flavours. 

All in all, the tasting was a great success, approved by all, and the proverbial “cherry on the top” came at the end: Jakopić Graševina, izborna berba prosušenih bobica 2015,  the wine that won the platinum award at Decanter World Wine Awards 2017.

All photos by Vigor Klaic

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

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission for the government of Nigeria, responded to the allegations of two Nigerian students who came to Croatia to play table tennis and mysteriously ended up in Bosnia, after The Guardian article appeared on a local Nigerian portal.

Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Intervened

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs is on this matter. It’s not as straightforward as you have reported, but the Mimster (sic) has personally intervened. We should give an update as the intervention continues,” she revealed in a tweet on Saturday, December 7.

The Guardian article titled “Police in Croatia deport Nigerian table tennis players to Bosnia” appeared on December 5. Since then the story has been picked up by DW, The Telegraph and others. And, then it appeared in TheCable, a Nigerian portal.

Croatian Police 'Kidnapped' Nigerians According to Žurnal

Žurnal, a portal based in Bosnia, broke this story on December 3 with the headline: “Croatian Police Kidnapped Nigerian Students and Took Them into Bosnia”. The Žurnal article also included a video interview with the students, Kenneth Chinedu Eboh and Uchenna Alexandro Abia, who alleged that Croatian Police apprehended them on a tram in downtown Zagreb. According to the students’ account they were brought to the police station on the evening of November 17, put into a van with other illegal migrants and forced at gunpoint by the Croatian police to cross the Bosnian border.

Žurnal Story Gets Picked Up by The Guardian

Writing from Tuzla, Bosnia - Lorenzo Tondo, a correspondent for The Guardian based in Palermo, Italy - referenced the students’ Žurnal interview in his December 5 article for the publication. He also interviewed Alberto Tanghetti, organizer for the Fifth World InterUniversities Championships in Pula, where the students had showed up without rackets and sports equipment, and competed in table tennis. Mr. Tanghetti confirmed that the young men had attended the competition and that he had identified them for volunteers at the camp in Velika Kladuša, where the men ended up.

However, Mr. Tondo’s December 5 article didn’t include the statement from the Croatian police which had appeared in Croatian media mid-day on December 4. Among other things, their statement disputed the students’ reported Zagreb travel dates and noted that another student in the group of five, had tried twice to cross the border to Slovenia and eventually applied for asylum in Croatia.

First Guardian Article Missing Police Statement

I contacted Mr. Tondo on the evening of December 5 to ask why he hadn’t included the police statement, which had appeared the day before and contradicted key details in the students’ allegations. I also pointed out that several Croatian media outlets had just interviewed the manager of HI Youth Hostel (also on December 5), where the students stayed. I added that the HI Youth Hostel is only 230m from the central police station on the same street, which calls into question why the police wouldn't have accompanied the students back to their hostel to verify their passports. According to the students’ allegations; the Croatian police brought them to the nearby police station instead.

Branimir Markač, the hostel manager, also disputed the students’ claimed check-in and check-out dates. The students stated that they checked in to the hostel on November 17, went for a walk in the city and were apprehended by police, who refused to allow the students to prove their identities and legal visas in Croatia, and took them in a van to Bosnia instead. The manager confirmed the Croatian police account that the students had checked in on November 16, rather than November 17, and checked out with their passports and belongings on November 18.

Mr. Markač also disputed the students’ account that an unidentified “friend” came to his hostel (the name of which the students couldn’t remember), retrieved their passports, and sent them to Bosnia, where local sources confirmed their arrival on November 25. The manager confirmed that no one came to his hostel in search of the Nigerians’ passports. He also emphasized that he would not have handed them over to a stranger.

Second Guardian Article Missing Hostel Managers’ Account

Mr. Tondo maintains that he didn’t obtain a police statement until 6 hours after his first article was published. In fact, he would have had that information the day before if he had been following Croatian media. He also didn’t include the hostel managers' account in his second article, written in Split, and titled “Croatia and Bosnia play political ping-pong over table tennis players”. That article, which appeared in The Guardian on December 6, quotes the Croatian police statement and refers the other Nigerian who attempted to cross the Slovenian border. However, it makes no reference to the hostel manager, even though I had provided him with this information and sources on the evening of December 5.

My correspondence with Mr. Tondo continued December 6, when I asked him the following:

• Did you read articles from any of the Croatian media outlets beforehand?
• Do you follow Croatian media?
• Do you read/speak Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian?
• Do you have an understanding of politics in Croatia?
• Did you contact anyone in Zagreb (besides the Croatian police) where this alleged incident happened?

Mr. Tondo declined to reply and responded that he was going to send my email to his lawyer. To my request for his editor’s name and contact information, he responded that he had already forwarded my emails to his editor and I could seek out that information by myself.

Does Lorenzo Tondo Know Croatian?

Upon contacting The Guardian by phone on December 6, I obtained the contact information for Tracy McVeigh, Editor of The Guardian’s Global Development Desk. I included my correspondence with Mr. Tondo and asked if The Guardian has a dedicated correspondent in Croatia who can follow news in Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian. I also indicated that Mr. Tondo would have a difficult time following the news developments in Croatia if he can’t read or speak the language. And, surely, there is a considerable pool of capable journalists living in Zagreb.

The Guardian Cannot Afford Croatia-based Correspondent

Ms. McVeigh declined to confirm whether Mr. Tondo knows Croatian/Serbian/Bosnian, and indicated that The Guardian, an international publication with over 8 million Facebook followers, cannot afford to keep a permanent correspondent in Croatia. Instead, she assured me that The Guardian has highly-skilled and experienced correspondents who travel to many different countries to write for their “British audience”.

According to the Croatian portal MojaPlaća (My Salary), the average monthly full-time salary for a journalist in Croatia, after taxes, is 4792 HRK (541 GBP, 644 EUR). So, it appears that The Guardian chose instead to assign this story to Mr. Tondo, a correspondent based in Palermo, Italy - who has not indicated whether he knows the local language. And he also appears to have accepted the Nigerian students’ story, reported by Žurnal, as fact.

No Witnesses to Students’ Alleged Zagreb ‘Kidnapping’

Other than contacting the Croatian police for a statement, which was already available to the public on December 4, there’s no evidence that Mr. Tondo made any other attempts to confirm the details of the students’ story. He apparently did not contact the manager of HI Youth Hostel, nor is there any evidence that he was following Croatian media as this story developed. There’s also no evidence that he made any attempts to reach out to the other Nigerian student in the group, who applied for asylum status in Croatia, and is currently being housed at the center for asylum seekers in Zagreb.

“I always knew there’d be a back story to this!” read one response to Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s tweet on Saturday.

“There is. But whatever the circumstances, the most important thing is to get them back,” the senior Nigerian government official replied.

Follow our Politics page for updates on this developing story and the migrant crisis in Croatia.

December 9, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Rijeka, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Pula, and Zagreb.

Avio Radar reports that Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair announced that it would terminate its base at Skavsta Airport near Stockholm, Sweden, and this year’s new base in Nuremberg, Germany. The airline stated the reason being that they would not be taking over the 20 Boeing 737MAX aircraft as planned for the summer next year. 

In the Croatian market, this means discontinuing the Stockholm-Rijeka route, which was the strongest Ryanair route to Rijeka. Namely, this route operated to Rijeka in the summer from early April to late October and is already not on sale for next year. 

“We also expect to cut summer capacity in a number of other existing bases, and we are currently in discussions with our people, our unions, and our affected airports to finalize these minor reductions”, Ryanair said in a statement on Ex Yu Aviation News. 

Interestingly, the airline recently announced that it would boost operations on the Stockholm-Zadar route from two to three times per week, and tickets for this line are still on offer for next year. Furthermore, tickets for the Nuremberg-Zadar route are also still on offer, although the Nuremberg base has plans to close. The airline updated customers with the news that this line would continue with operations, unlike the others. 

Avio Radar adds that British low-cost carrier Jet2 will increase traffic to Dubrovnik in their 2020 summer flight schedule. On the London (Stansted Airport)-Dubrovnik route, the sixth flight per week has been introduced, on Mondays, which means that Jet2 will fly this route every day except Wednesdays. The line will begin operations on April 2, 2020. 

Still, Jet2 has decreased operations from London to Pula and Split. The London (Stansted)-Pula route will run only once a week, on Sundays, from May 31 to September 20, 2020. The London (Stansted)-Split route will run twice a week instead of last year’s three, on Thursdays and Sundays. Namely, this line will no longer work on Wednesdays. A Boeing 737-800 aircraft should service all lines. 

Jet2 also introduced a new line between Stansted and Zadar next year. 

Finally, Avio Radar reports that Kenya Airways expanded its codeshare cooperation with French national carrier Air France. Both Airlines are members of the Skyteam global airline association. Zagreb is among the other new codeshare destinations for Kenya Airways. The extended collaboration began on November 26, 2019. Air France’s daily flights on the Paris route (Charles de Gaulle) to Zagreb will carry the Kenyan KQ3834, along with the French carrier’s symbol. 

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

December 9, 2019 - The 18th round of the Croatian First League was held from December 6 to 8, 2019. A draw for Hajduk against Inter kept them in 2nd place, but pushed them to nine points behind Dinamo who sits in 1st. Rijeka is now just one point behind Hajduk in 3rd. 

Dinamo v. Varazdin (1:0)

Dinamo and Varazdin opened the 18th round on Friday, December 6, 2019, at Maksimir stadium in front of 1,471 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Dinamo narrowly won with a goal by Gavranovic in the 77th minute for 1:0. 

Dinamo is currently in 1st place with 41 points, while Varazdin is in 9th place with 12 points. 

Gorica v. Slaven Belupo (2:0)

Gorica and Belupo met in Velika Gorica on Saturday, December 7, 2019.

Belupo’s Goda saw a straight red card in the 9th minute, forcing the away side to play with a man down for nearly the entire game. Gorica found it easy to capitalize on their player advantage and scored both goals in the 18th and 34th minute thanks to Zwolinski and Lovric. 

A double yellow for Ndiaye in the 53rd minute equaled the playing field, though neither team was able to score in the second half. 

Gorica is currently in 6th place with 28 points, while Belupo is in 7th with 18.

Inter Zapresic v. Hajduk (1:1)

Inter and Hajduk met in Zagreb on Saturday, December 7, 2019, in front of 1,620 fans. 

An own goal by Hajduk’s Simic in the 26th minute put Inter in the lead for 1:0, though Eduok was able to equalize for Hajduk to make the game 1:1 at the half, which was also the final score of the game.

Inter is currently in the last place with 12 points, while Hajduk is in 2nd with 32. 

Osijek v. Lokomotiva (4:0)

Osijek and Lokomotiva met at City Garden Stadium on Sunday, December 8, 2019, in front of 1,533 spectators. 

While the first half went without goals, Osijek made up for their absence in the net in the second half, scoring all four goals then (Maric 55’, Pilj 78’, Kleinheisler 82’, Bockaj 92’). 

Lokomotiva’s Kastrati was also given his second yellow of the game in the 62nd minute 

Osijek is currently in 4th place with 30 points, while Lokomotiva is in 5th with 28. 

Rijeka v. Istra 1961 (2:0)

Rijeka and Istra closed out the 18th round at Rujevica on December 8, 2019,in front of 4,675 spectators. 

An own goal by Galilea put Rijeka in the lead in the 15th minute, while Muric increased the lead for the home side with a goal in the 27th.

Rijeka is currently in 3rd place with 31 points, while Istra is in 8th with 12. 

You can see the full HNL table here. 

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

Unique opportunity to taste nine young Škrlet wines in one place: Advent evening organized by the Moslavina Škrlet Association.

The foremost Škrlet producers of Moslavina region will premiere their 2019 harvest Škrlet wines to wine lovers at the Forum Gallery in Teslina 16, on Friday, 6th of December, 2019, from 17 to 22h.

Five medals from the recent Decanter awards for Škrlet wines are proof this variety is claiming its deserved spot on the wine list of Croatia and the world, one out of 120 indigenous Croatian varieties.

Visitors will have the opportunity to be the first to taste 9 young Škrlet wines from the 2019 harvest, one of them produced jointly by the Association members.

The ticket price is 60 kuna, including wine tasting and meeting the winemakers. Visitors will also be able to purchase promotional materials with the Škrlet brand.

The entire event has been financially supported by Zagreb County.

ZAGREB, December 5, 2019 - Three civil society associations said on Thursday that they would stage a protest rally against the proposed general urban development plan outside the City Hall on Monday, and they reiterated their criticism of the plan.

Bernard Ivčić of the Green Action NGO said that regardless of the fact that Mayor Milan Bandić had decided to remove this topic from the agenda of the city assembly meeting scheduled for Monday, the associations would hold the protest on Monday morning.

Ivčić and activist Iva Marčetić accused Bandić of catering for investors' interests which were contrary to the development of the city and its residents' interests.

"As ordinary citizens are drowning in waste and waste disposal costs are going up, the most valuable parts of the city are being reserved for special groups of investors to build skyscrapers and flats," said Ivčić.

Several associations, city planners and architects, as well as opposition members of the Zagreb City Council and most councils of the Zagreb city neighbourhoods are opposed to amendments to the Zagreb development plan which would pave the way for the so-called Manhattan project on the banks of the River Sava.

On Wednesday, Mayor Bandić said that by shifting the debate on the general urban development plan (GUP) to a special City Assembly meeting scheduled for February 6 he wanted to trump the aces of those accusing him of trying to hastily push the document through.

Although the GUP should have been debated under fast-track procedure on December 9, along with a revised budget for 2019 and a 2020 budget proposal, Bandić said that he and his associates had decided to dedicate one City Assembly meeting solely to the GUP.

"If we have waited for three or four years, then we can wait for another month and a half," the mayor told a press conference. Bandić said he believed the opposition, too, would be satisfied with his decision because they wanted the proposal removed from the agenda of the December session.

The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) members of the City Assembly on Thursday welcomed Bandić's decision to shift the debate on the general urban development plan to February 6.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Allegations of the abduction and forced expulsion of two Nigerian students to Bosnia by the Croatia police (MUP) has received wide attention in the Croatian media since the Bosnian portal Žurnal broke the story on December 3. More details have emerged, which have led to even more questions, and credibility issues are muddying the narrative.

After yesterday’s official statement from MUP regarding the alleged incident, additional details are emerging, some of which may contradict MUP claims. While the story is being covered extensively in Croatian media, most of the basic questions about this alleged incident haven’t even been addressed.

There are possible credibility issues with a member of the Nigerian group and proven credibility issues with MUP. No witnesses have come forward to corroborate the Nigerian students’ allegations. One member of their group claimed asylum in Croatia on November 27, which may help support the MUP claim that people from third countries are using sports competitions to enter the EU.

However, several world news organizations have disproven MUP’s repeated denials of an aggressive pushback policy toward illegal migrants. Here’s what we still don’t know.

What was the groups’ actual flight itinerary?

According to MUP, the group of five Nigerians, one leader and four students, arrived in Croatia on November 12. The leader and one student departed Croatia via the Zagreb airport on November 17. The students claim that their return flight departed on November 18, which meant that they had arrived on the same flight with the others but wouldn’t be returning to Nigeria on the same flight.

What Zagreb hostel did the students check into?

MUP has not provided the name of the hostel and the students claim that they don’t remember the name, as they had just checked in, before setting off on a stroll through the city.

What date did the students check into that unidentified Zagreb hostel?

MUP claims they checked in on November 16, rather than November 17, as the students claim. Alberto Tanghetti, the organizer of the 5th World InterUniversities Championships in Pula supports the students’ claim and indicated that the students left Pula for Zagreb on November 17 to make their November 18 flight. 

Are there any witnesses to the students’ alleged abduction by Croatian police on the Zagreb tram?

The sight of police removing the students from a tram in a large busy city for no apparent reason (they weren’t disturbing the peace) would have produced witnesses. So far no one has come forward.

Who sent the students their passports?

In yesterday’s statement, MUP claimed that the students checked out of their Zagreb hostel on November 18 and took their passports and belongings with them. However, sources now confirm that the students didn’t have their passports with them when they entered Bosnia. An unidentified friend from the competition sent the students’ passports from the unidentified Zagreb hostel to Bosnia. The students received their passports on November 25, nine days after their alleged abduction and expulsion from Croatia.

Where is the students’ luggage?

If the students weren’t allowed to return to the unidentified Zagreb hostel, the hostel would have had their luggage as well as their passports. They would have packed for a five-day trip. Where is their luggage now?

Why would the Croatian police expel the students to Bosnia, when it would have been much easier, and legal, to allow them to catch their return flights to Nigeria?

It would have been very easy for the Croatian police to physically go with the students to the unidentified Zagreb hostel and confirm they were registered there. In addition, by law, every traveler visiting Croatia must furnish their passports to the front desk (or host) of their accommodations upon arrival, as part of the registration process. That information is reported to MUP, so they should have been able to confirm where the students were staying. Why would the Zagreb police detain the students for hours, for no apparent reason, and allegedly send them in a van to Bosnia? Furthermore, in an interview for Index, Željko Cvrtila, an experienced criminologist, emphasized that the Croatian police could have only legally deported them back to Nigeria, as they had valid visas for their stay in Croatia.

If MUP has no record or evidence that the students crossed the Bosnian border, what does that say about the effectiveness of the MUP effort to control the border?

If MUP has no record of the students’ whereabouts and was not able to intersect the students’ illegal and forced expulsion into Bosnia, it would seem to suggest that Croatia still lacks effective tools, surveillance and manpower to monitor and control illegal movement across the border.

Are there any witnesses who can corroborate the students’ arrival and length of stay in Bosnia?

According to the students, they were abducted by Zagreb police on November 17 and taken in a van to the Bosnian border with a group of illegal migrants. That also means that they have allegedly been in Bosnia for 2 ½ weeks.

Is there additional information on the fourth student who sought asylum in Croatia?

According to MUP, the group leader and one of the four students returned to Nigeria on November 17. Another remained in Croatia and tried to enter Slovenia twice, but was denied entry because he did not have a Schengen passport. MUP claims that he reported his passport lost on November 18 and refused an alleged offer from the MUP central station in Zagreb to contact the Nigerian embassy on his behalf. On November 27, the student returned and filed a claim for asylum and is currently being housed in an asylum center in Zagreb.

Did the students perform competitively at the 5th World InterUniversities Championships?

Zoran Ničeno, Director of Border Security, claims in an interview with Dnevnik Nove TV that they had confirmed with organizers that the students fared very poorly at the 5th World InterUniversities Championships and lost every match. He then implied that they may not have been professionally trained for the sport and were simply using the competition as a way of entering the EU. While varied resources and levels of training can produce performance gaps among contestants in international competitions, videos of the students at the event might reveal their proficiency in the sport they flew to Croatia to compete in.

What about MUP’s claims that the students may have been involved with illegal smugglers?

In the same interview, Ničeno claimed that they have information that the students may have been involved with illegal smugglers. What evidence do they have to support that claim?

Did Bosnian officials offer to help the students return to Nigeria?

Ničeno also claimed that Bosnian officials offered to help the students return home to Nigeria, but they allegedly refused and expressed a desire to return to Croatia and apply for asylum. Did this help offer include buying them one-way tickets home? Bosnian official have not confirmed Ničeno's claims.

Follow our Politics page here to stay updated on this story, MUP activities, and the migrant crisis in Croatia.

December 4, 2019 - Bagatin Clinic puts Croatia firmly on the global medical tourism map in Berlin after being named International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year at the prestigious IMTJ 2019 awards. 

A magnificent achievement for Croatian medical tourism last night, as the country's leading clinic, Bagatin, won big at the prestigious IMTJ 2019 awards in Berlin. Organised by the team behind International Medical Travel Journal, the annual awards are the most important in the medical tourism industry, and there was physical representation from an impressive 45 countries at last night's ceremony. 

But while winning the title of the world's best International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year was the highlight of Bagatin's trip to IMTJ 2019, it was by no means the only one. 

Earlier in the conference, Bagatin Clinic became the first clinic in Croatia and only the 65th in the world to receive the coveted TEMOS Accreditation - in the fields of Medical Tourism Excellence and Quality of International Patient Care. CEO Ognjen Bagatin and Business Development Manager Andrea Stipanic were on hand to accept the accreditations. 

Ognjen Bagatin also gave one of the most inspiring presentations of IMTJ 2019, telling his story of how he grew his clinic from a small operation consisting of just him and his two cosmetic surgeon brothers with a turnover of just 30,000 euro offering just aesthetic surgery in 2008, to over 100 employees in 2018 and revenues of 5.5 million euro with four departments (and 120 employees in 2019). 

I have followed the Croatian medical tourism industry closely over the last two years, but IMTJ 2019 was the first time I had seen Bagatin on the global stage, and I was curious to see how a leading Croatian clinic would compare to the global heavyweights. Not only did Bagatin rub shoulders with the best of them, but there were many learning from Bagatin and his best practices. One of the IMTJ judges even commented that the clinic is probably the best global case study for best practices of a clinic. 

The excellent conference over, it was time for the big night - the annual awards dinner. The Croatian delegation was small, the two Bagatin heroes, Alfred Frankovic from Kvarner Health Cluster, and one fat Brit who wore Bagatin's lucky Croatian tie for the occasion. 

And we did not have long to wait for recognition, with Bagatin Clinic a finalist in the category of Best Quality Initiative. 

No victory in that category, but the sweet taste of success was soon to come, as the winner of the International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic of the Year was announced - Bagatin Clinic! It was an honour to be sitting in the front row and to record the moment above. 

A huge milestone for the Croatian medical tourism industry, and a huge recognition of the efforts of the entire BagaTEAM.  

A quick chat with the charismatic CEO a few minutes after the award. 

Wonderful stuff - congratulations to the entire BagaTEAM, proof that with the right leadership and plan, Croatia can compete with the very best in the global medical tourism industry. I sometimes compare Ognjen Bagatin to Luka Modric, the midfield dynamo who keeps the Croatian medical tourism industry buzzing. Unlike Modric and the heroics of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, young Ognjen left for Zagreb this morning with his World Cup firmly in his hand.  

The award is timely for Bagatin and Croatia, as it will shift more focus on the Croatian medical tourism industry. That interest will intensify in March next year, as Bagatin Clinic, together with collaborative international presenter, Cleveland Clinic, will host Europe's first-ever European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress in Dubrovnik. You can learn more about EPIC 2020 on the official website.  

For the latest news on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN section.