The final stage of the preparation of the Croatian national team for the first qualifying match of the 2008 European Championship against the Russian team before flying to Moscow took place under the sign of a scandal, in the center of which were three team leaders expelled for violation of discipline.
On Monday, the Croatian media were full of details of the Sunday incident, which further complicated the task of the Croatian head coach Slaven Bilic to put up the strongest squad in Moscow. To the problems with the disqualifications of defenders Dario Shimich (Milan) and Josip Šimunić (Hertha), as well as the injury to the pillar of the defense of Igor Tudor (Juventus), a search was added for two violators whom the coach of the Balkan national team planned to release on the pitch of the Cherkizovsky stadium with of the first minute: Darijo Srne, who plays for Shakhtar Donetsk, and Ivica Olic, a favorite of fans of Moscow CSKA. Forward of the Belgian “Club Brugge” Bosko Balabanu Bilic assigned the role of a reserve. But now the audience on Lokomotiv will not see any of these players.
Bilic argues that it could not be otherwise, since the aforementioned trinity, by her absence from one of the entertainment establishments in Zagreb on the night of Saturday to Sunday, showed disrespect for the national team, its coach and partners, depriving themselves of a chance to perform in Moscow.
“If I hadn’t done so, I would have had to leave the post of head coach of the national team. What they did is an infantile act, a lot of stupidity, ”commented Bilich’s charges at a press conference on Monday. He added that the absence of a number of players, including a trio of expelled, would not justify a possible failure in Moscow. “Our goal remains the same. We will be ready in the same way as we would with these three players. This Croatian team is the best at the moment. And I repeat that there is no alibi, ”Bilich said.
The coach is also echoed by the president of the Croatian Football Union (HNS), Vlatko Markovic: “Nothing unites us, Croats, as tightly as a common misfortune. This will be an additional impetus for our team, ”Markovich told reporters. - I thought to punish the players only with a fine, but now I think that Slaven is right. We support his decision one hundred percent. The football union is not a kindergarten, and such misconduct is unacceptable. And I was a coach and very harshly punished the players for that. ”
The head of the HNS added that the fines (30 thousand Croatian kunas - $ 5,260) imposed on the perpetrators are “insignificant” and he will seek to review them upward.
On Monday, Srna, Olic, and Balaban appeared in Zagreb before the HNS Disciplinary Commission, spoke about the incident and apologized, after which the chairman of the commission Ante Tomic announced the imposition of fines in the maximum amount prescribed by the union regulations.
On behalf of the teammates, the team captain Niko Kovacs tried to intercede for the top three nightlife lovers, who suggested Bilich not to expel them and give him the opportunity to play against the Russian team. The coach remained adamant, which found understanding with Kovacs.
“Bilich had to make such a decision. He is a young coach and must have authority. If he had decided otherwise, he would have recalled it throughout his coaching career. On the other hand, if there was no punishment, other players might think that such behavior would get away with them, ”said the captain of the Croatian team. Nico Kovacs added that the players of the team are “in shock, but we need to go ahead and leave this incident behind.”
According to the Slobodna Dalmacija split newspaper, according to the daily routine that was valid during the training camp in the Slovenian resort town of Čatež, Croatian footballers were supposed to be in hotel rooms by 23.30. Since visiting breakfast from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. is not compulsory, no one attached importance to the absence of Srna, Olic and Balaban on Sunday morning. Moreover, the neighbors of Srna and Olic by numbers Niko Kranjčar and Mladen Petrich did not notify the coaching staff about the night sortie of the partners. The absence of Balaban could not have been noticed at all, since the player lived in number one. However, the alteration in which the players fell (in the club where they spent the night, there was a fight and a shootout in which three people were injured) could not go unnoticed by the journalists. In addition, according to Croatian media reports, the players, like other visitors to the venue, had to wait for the police to conduct an inspection of the scene.
Meanwhile, in the camp of the Croats, the chances of a duel against the Russians are still estimated as quite high. The Zagreb newspaper Vjesnik quotes Dynamo Kyiv defender Goran Sablich, who is closer to the Russian team because he regularly watches broadcasts of matches of the Russian Premier League: “A really hard game awaits us. It seems to me that the Russians are a little worse in defense. Ahead they play combinationally, in a short pass, and thus are able to get to the opponent’s goal themselves. Long gears do not use. "
Midfielder Luka Modric, who will most likely be in the first team, is most afraid of the starting onslaught of the Hiddink team. “I think that the Russians will organize a flurry of attacks in the first 20 minutes. We must withstand this onslaught. How? To take the ball from the opponent and not allow him to be taken away from us, ”Modric shares the recipe for successfully opposing the Russian offensive.
The capital newspaper Vecernji list asked its readers to express their preferences regarding the starting lineup of the Croatian national team in Moscow. Almost 12 thousand people took part in the online survey. Shakhtar goalkeeper Stipe Pletikos received the most votes, and among the strikers the audience preferred Ivan Klasnich, the Bremen Bremen forward.
Vjesnik also conducted an analysis of the transfer value of the players of the two teams. According to him, the alleged first composition of Russians draws 50.7 million euros, while the eleven best at Bilich cost only 31.6 million euros. The newspaper notes that there are no big names in Russia: with the exception of Smertin, no one can boast of playing for any European super club. But at the same time, it is emphasized that Bilich’s squad will confront “a strong and not very attractive rival in the sense of the game’s entertainment”. This combination, the author adds notes, according to most trainers, is always the most difficult.
Boyan SHOCH