How far do you think Croatia can go in the 2014 World Cup?
"I really believe we can get out of the group. I don't think we can beat Brazil but Mexico and Cameroon are possibilities for wins. Spain, Netherlands and Chile are all favourites to get out of Group B so we could face any one of them as long as we finish second in Group A. Chile is maybe our best chance but you never know and Spain are very good. If we get past round two I will be very pleased indeed".Can Croatia replicate France '98 and get third?
"Haha I don't think so, not much chance! There are far too many teams in the tournament that can do better than us, but I have my fingers crossed nevertheless".
Will the time difference make it difficult for you to watch the World Cup?
"Maybe. We are one hour ahead of British Summer Time and the last game is 23:00 BST so for Croatia it will be midnight. It will be the school term in Croatia still so most kids won't be allowed to stay up for those games. However Croatia's group games are all kicking off at or before 21:00 in our country so most of us will be able to watch at least the group stage and not stay up too late for school the next day."
Croatia hasn't had much success in recent years with both international football and club football, so why do Croatians still go into this World Cup with such positivity?
"They never forget their team, and the national team is the only one, they don't care if they are bad or good they are always heroes. We have many good players, maybe even world class. Like Luka Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Dejan Lovren, Darijo Srna, Nikica Jelavic and Nico Kranjcar. These players are very good with their clubs and have the opportunity in Brazil to show the world that Croatia is a great football nation.
Club football in Croatia hasn't really made any impact on the rest of Europe, in terms of the Champions League or Europa League. What is support like for the major clubs in Croatia?
"Croatia is torn between two big clubs, Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb, and they are not friends. Like Manchester United and Liverpool here in England except in Croatia they are opposite sides of the country and not neighbour cities. People are usually very loyal and don't change their mind on their favourite club based on success. When there are matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid or other big European clubs its not necessarily that people support the Croatian club, especially not if they are their big rivals!"
There's been a lot said in recent years, especially in the lead up to Euro 2012, about ultras making stadiums dangerous places to be in south east Europe. People have said that fans that are of an ethnic minority shouldn't go to away games of their team in these countries, how bad is it really?
"Some fans can be very dangerous, particularly the ultras, but that's why they have their own separate part of the stands to the away team. Things could, and have got messy with racism and violence.
"There have been cases where ultras have ripped up stadium chairs and thrown them on the pitch which is very scary. Uefa is trying to stop this by banning and fining clubs for this behaviour but most ultras don't care and will carry on regardless, this is very bad. It doesn't help the reputation of Croatia fans and means fans from central, north and south Europe don't want to travel here with their team for European away matches.
"Also some teams don't want to face Croatian opposition because they don't know what the fans will do. In 2008 I think Dinamo Zagreb went to Tottenham Hotspur's ground and lit a flare in the away stand, which was very dangerous and bad of them. The thrill of the game can turn into violence so on all the games there are policeman".
No comments:
Post a Comment