Croatia
Onward without Eduardo
Reaching major tournaments is hardly a novelty for Croatia – they have failed to make a World Cup or European Championship only once since 1996 – Euro 2000. But reaching Austria/Switzerland was nevertheless met with euphoria, partly because of the style in which the team did it and the fact they had comfortably bettered England and Russia in the process. Indeed, Croatia’s 3-2 win at Wembley in the final qualifier is viewed as one of the three most important results in the country’s history, along with the 2-1 win away to Italy in the Euro 96 qualifiers and the 2-1 defeat of Holland that secured third place at the 1998 World Cup.
Many fans were so uplifted that they predicted Croatia could even win Euro 2008. But then came a terrible blow – the broken leg suffered by Eduardo Da Silva, top scorer in the qualifiers and the team’s most important player, which will keep him out of the finals.
There has also been the unwelcome distraction of coach Slaven Bilic’s contract saga. The former national team defender has gained much credit for the way he has shaped the team and achieved consistently good results. But his current deal runs out at the end of the finals, and with his payment at an extremely modest £35,000 a year there were fears that he would quit.
However, federation president Vlatko Markovic opted to play a waiting game, saying Bilic had to state what remuneration he wanted for a new two-year deal. The coach would not be drawn, and meanwhile a number of leading clubs showed their interest in signing him, with Hamburg the most up-front.
But Bilic shocked everyone by suddenly announcing that he would sign up until 2010 unconditionally, saying he would let the federation decide how much he should be paid. His proviso was that his assistants should be adequately rewarded. For instance, fellow former Croatia team-mate Robert Prosinecki does not receive a single penny for his work with Bilic.
There have also been tensions between Bilic and the players. A day’s training was lost before the March friendly against Scotland when some of the squad, against Bilic’s wishes, opted to shoot commercials instead.
Worst home defeat
Recent performances and results have also left a lot to be desired. Croatia managed only a 1-1 draw in Glasgow, while their 3-0 loss to Holland in Rijeka the previous month was their worst at home since independence in 1992.
Despite the negatives, there is still optimism that they can do better than at the past three major finals, when they failed to get out of their group, seemingly because the players were not strong enough to cope with three big games in a short period. But the current squad has plenty of maturity and talent, and the draw has been kind – Croatia face Germany, Austria and Poland.
They should also have big support. About 50,000 fans are expected to travel to Austria for the group games, though only 10 per cent will have tickets. State president Stjepan Mesic and prime minister Ivo Sanader, a big football fan, will also be at the first game, against Austria.
Interview with Croatia coach Slaven Bilic
Interview with Croatia's Luka Modric
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