WRITTEN BY BRANKO TOMASOVIĆ
At the start of the 2010-11 soccer season, the Croatian domestic soccer league, better known as Prva HNL, has been rocked by stunning allegations that defending league and cup champions, Dinamo Zagreb, were involved in a match-fixing conspiracy in last year’s first leg of the Croatia Cup, where Dinamo won 3-0 against their arch rivals Hajduk Split.
According to Croatian sports daily Sportske Novosti, German authorities have uncovered documents “suggesting” that Dinamo Zagreb officials were involved in nefarious match fixing activities. The main official implicated is none other than Zoran Mamić, the Sports Operations Director of Dinamo, who also happens to be the brother of Zdravko Mamić, the club’s current executive Vice-President, and possibly, the most influential man in Croatian soccer.
SREBRIĆ ON THE MATTER
The report alleges that Mamić and Ante Sapina, a notorious gambler and felon who was convicted of masterminding the match-fixing scandal in the Bundesliga in 2005 with the help of disgraced referee Robert Hoyzerc, conspired with Croatian referee Bruno Marić to give Dinamo a 3-0 victory in the first tie of the 2009 Croatia Cup Finals. The alleged conspiracy is to have brought in 1.4 million euros to the organizers, according to Croatian daily Jutrani List. Nevertheless, in a profanity-laced tirade, Zdravko Mamić denied that his club and his brother were involved in any sort of illegal activity, claimed that all match-fixing allegations about Zoran and Dinamo were utterly false, and insisted that a conspiracy existed to tear down Dinamo.
However, more allegations have now surfaced from German authorities that Dinamo Zagreb were involved in three other rigged matches, this time of the European variety, involving England’s Arsenal, Romania’s Timisoara, and Belgium’s Anderlecht. In two of these games Dinamo lost to Arsenal 3-0 and to Anderlecht 2-0, while winning the third 3-0, against Timisoara. All of this controversy is taking place in the backdrop of one of the biggest soccer match-fixing investigations in European history, dubbed “Operation Offside.” The investigation, led by German law enforcement into soccer match-fixing, involves 270 matches across nine countries and over 250 individuals, reported the Associated Press.
Investigative journalist and author Declan Hill, who wrote the landmark book, The Fix: Soccer and Organized Crime, commented that match-fixing is much more widespread than the typical fan would imagine. Hill emphatically declares:
What the Germans have uncovered is . . . the Asian gambling market, which is absolutely gigantic, is coming into Europe and North America, he told CTV News Channel. Because of the size of the gambling market there (in Asia), it’s corrupted much of the Asian sports leagues, and now it’s starting to corrupt these leagues around the world. It’s a huge, huge problem and they are only beginning to tackle it now.
According to the Associated Press, the investigation now involves 53 matches in Germany; 19 in Belgium; 35 in Switzerland; 15 in Croatia; 7 in Slovenia; 74 in Turkey; 14 in Hungary; 8 in Bosnia; 12 in Austria; and 33 games in international competitions.
The consequences of this investigation are clearly being felt in Croatia where 22 individuals, to date, have been arrested. These individuals primarily, are suspected of rigging the games of the domestic Croatian soccer league. The aftermath of these claims has forced the resignation of John Brleković , Vice-President of the Croatian Soccer Federation and President of its Commission on Combating Corruption in soccer. One can only speculate how much longer Vlatko Marković can survive as President of the Croatian Soccer Federation while, under his watch, this scandal escalates with each passing day.
If the Associated Press is to be believed, 15 matches in the Croatian domestic soccer league were fixed, one of which being last year’s Dinamo vs. Hajduk Croatia Cup Finals opening match. Nevertheless, many questions still remain. Which of the 14 other games were fixed? Which teams were involved? Who was involved? How far back does this activity go? How did this scandal impact past championships? Perhaps most importantly, what will be the consequences of all of this? If Dinamo Zagreb is found guilty, will they lose those illegally won championships? Will this scandal destroy Dinamo Zagreb? Will the club vanish into obscurity if they are punished with a demotion to the 2nd Division? What happens if Croatia’s second largest club, Hajduk Split, is later implicated? Will the Prva HNL survive this scandal? All of these questions will be answered in due time, but the ramifications of this scandal will undoubtedly be felt all across the Croatian soccer landscape for the foreseeable future.
Just to be sure – there are two different anonymous' commenting.
Subsidiarity is the exact opposite of the EU's Orwellian spin. It's in the substance of the EU's actions not simply rhetoric which counts. Member states can do all the things that the EU takes upon itself (EU constitution, European Court of Human Rights etc.) to suggest otherwise is absurd.
Don't worry before you know it the EU bureaucrats (backed by a human rights charter which interferes with liberties rather than protecting them) will be paternalistically telling us what to do rather than letting us make our own decisions. Enter exhibit A: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38062809/ns/world_news-europe/ amongst other examples.
@JP
It's interesting to see some divergent opinions from the crowd. Although considering the importance of the topic, it's also interesting to see how many have no opinion whatsoever. Obviously you've struck a few nerves with your sketches. In general, I tend to agree with your views, they seem experienced, nuanced, and steeped in the realpolitik of our times. The EU will be no paradise, that's for sure, but in the long run, as you imply, we are joining the "first world", and that's where we belong. Doing this will likely necessitate that we have to change some prejudiced ideas, but that too is probably overdue.
@JP
oh sine moj, you seem to be sipping off the kool aid a little to much. You honestly think that each country has an equal say in the EU. It's easy to reference material on wikipedia, but it's not as easy to implement those procedures in real life.
@JP….good links and valid point about us siding with germany on most issues.
Still, I am no fan of the EU. I'll leave it at that. I don't want to discuss too much politics on the website since we are here for soccer.
@ Ziva
I was wondering when you would join this conversation 🙂
Actually what you are saying is not strictly true. See here and do the math:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Lisbon#Council_of_Ministers
Of course I get the spirit of what you are saying… Surely Hrvatska will not dominate the EU… but that's not the point.
In reality, how often do we disagree with Germany anyway?
Also, don't forget that most votes result from coalition-building that goes on before any actual vote gets tabled.
See here too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidiarity
There might be 28 voices at the table, but not all of those voices carry the same weight. When it comes time to vote for a law, Germany, France, and England all by themselves will be able to implement legislation.
@Bronk
Thanks for the detailed follow-up. It's obvious that we all care deeply about what occurs, and thus if nothing else we have that in common. If we Hrvati keep that kind of attitude foremost in our mind, then we can find the best solutions. Personally, I'd rather face opposition, than apathy.
I think the crux of the difference in our views stems from the fact the you believe that we "are giving away the farm" by joining the EU. That's simply not true. If this were to be true then I would agree with you. In no way is that what I would desire. Is Slovenia no longer Slovenia since it joined the EU? Has the Slovene government shuttered its doors since they joined the EU? Has Slovakia disappeared? Of course not.
If we are going to talk about "spin", then characterizing the EU as a "bigger Yugoslavia" is downright misleading at best, and fear-mongering at worst. You say that "the EU is a monolithic super state structure, just like Yugoslavia was"…
I hate to break it to you, but every form of nation-state structure is as you call it "monolithic". This is the whole point of a state. Centralized control is what nation-states and governments are all about. The current Croatian state is no different in this respect.
To compare the EU to a totalitarian dictatorship like Yugoslavia was, is downright distasteful. It's wrong on all levels. It's dangerously misleading too. Surely you could find a better analogy. But of course that would mean less fear-mongering. Sure, lets get the selo all fired-up and tell them that the Serbs and Partizani are coming back to get us. Except this time they are dressed in Blue and yellow, have a respect for democracy, free-speech, and a multiplicity of views. Shake your head man.
You conveniently ignore the fact that we have complete control over the Kuna, and will maintain that.
Our elections, democracy, military, police, and other machinations of the state and government are not stopping with EU membership. On what EU charter is that written? Please show me.
Also, your allegations of the EU being dominated by Germany, France, Italy, and England, and whoever else, are far overblown. There's 28 voices at the table. And the multiplicity of views, is, I dare say, the entire point of the structure. The EU entrenches Croatia's voice permanently into this structure.
JP aside from the name calling, if you read my comments carefully, what I said is if Croatia joins the EU she will defiantly be dominated by Germany France, England and Italy. Are you trying to tell me that those countries that I listed do not dominate the EU? I never said anywhere that the EU was designed to specifically lull Croatia to sleep. That's simply your spin. Stick to the facts of what I am saying. The EU is a monolithic super state structure, just like Yugoslavia was. The EU is just being created on a much larger scale. That is undeniable. It's not a conspiracy it's a fact. Secondly, if Croatia remains independent she has a great deal of control over her fate; control over the issuant of their currency, control over its boarders, and finally political control in that she is free to enter into any sort of agreements economic, political or military that she wishes with other member states. Finally, Croatian's can hold their representatives in the Sabor accountable because they directly elect them. This is not the case in the EU which is controlled by a non elected bureaucratic body. This last fact is undeniable which you conveniently ignore. The EU is not a democratic structure.
As for your argument about antagonism versus cooperation; what I don't understand is why it has to be an either or situation. Why can't we cooperate with other members states in Europe including the EU as an independent nation? Why is it if Croatia decides to maintain its independence that it is automatically viewed as antagonism by you? Why can't you maintain independence and be a peaceful country that is friendly to all but that follows its own national interest? Is every national interest that the EU has the same as Croatia? What if the two fall into conflict, what then?
The reason Croatia wants to join the EU and NATO (which it is already a member of) is the perceived economic and security benefits. What I am saying is that the cost is too high for this. You don't need to give the farm away to ensure it never gets robbed again. My Switzerland argument which you dismiss makes complete sense in that it proves you don't need to be part of any monolithic military, economic and political organizations and surrender complete independence to have a good economy and be secure from attack. As for the fact that Switzerland has a free trade agreement with the EU does not disprove my point. Many countries around the world have similar trade agreements but still maintain their sovereignty overall. Embracing the EU is embracing the idea that Croatia will eventually become a province in the EU and total political control will eventually make its way to Brussels just like it did to Belgrade in the old Yugoslavia. That is a fact and that's no conspiracy. Having said all of this, it is clear Croatia will soon become a member of the EU as you correctly point out. The political elites in Croatia have been aiming for this for a very long time. I hope at the very least a referendum will be held to see if the Croatian public supports this and wishes to join this organization.
Any who guys im going on a trip to visit the EU:) I'll talk to you guys later. I'll send JP a postcard from Brussels:)
JP you're starting to get rather specious in your arguing. KB's comparison of the EU with Yugo was qualified when he said that the EU was to some extent democratic and capitalistic. The gist of his argument was that just in the way that Croatia was dominated swallowed up and was made subordinate to the interests of Belgrade so too will Croatia be in relation to Brussels.
Your 2nd retort is illogical. KB's point was simple – Croatia has not joined the EU and is thus best placed to solve its own problems. But by joining the EU (thus being dominated and having our future decided by distant unelected EU bureaucrats) we will be worse placed in solving our own problems.
3rd _ if Croatia isn't joining the EU because we have problems then why join at all. What's the necessity?
4th _ we don't need the EU to have security. If anything trying to join the EU has made us virtually cede territory to Slovenia. If security means anything then retaining one's territorial integrity is a vital part of that.
5th _ you’ve just proved the opposite with your point about Switzerland. Switzerland is able to make independent decisions about what's in their best interests and thus enter into EFTA with countries of their own choosing. Vaclav Klaus though opposed to the EU advocates that in the case of the Czech’s leaving the EU that he would still advocate some form of a free trade zone with other European nations as does UKIP in Britain.
The fact of the matter is that by joining the EU all those features of an independent nation-state will be dissolved. No boarders, no national currency, no sovereignty means that Croatia will be merely a province in the same way Dalmatia and Slavonia is within Croatia.
The EU is no sure thing and even if it is then I shall fight it to my last breath.
@ Bronk
Wow, you really do believe that. Wow.
I bet you're probably a conspiracy theorist too. If that's the case I'm sorry for your fate (but likely it explains your fixation on match fixing too).
You're right, I forgot that the EU was designed and organized for the express purpose of "lulling Hrvatska to sleep" so that we'd unwittingly accept the French, British, Germans and Italians as our overlords. Right… likely story hombre.
I won't even bother with your EU/Yugoslavia comparison, that's just plain delusional. Have you ever been to any EU countries?
Anyway, your reasoning overall is highly illogical. On one hand you state that we will be "dominated" by the EU on all levels, and then you conclude by saying that only Hrvati, and Hrvatska can solve our own problems. Huh? How does that work exactly? If we are dominated by the EU what power do we have to change anything?
Furthermore, your flawed logic contains the hidden assumption that Hrvatska is joining the EU to solve its problems. Really? Who told you this? And which "problems" exactly are these? What special "problems" does Hrvatska have that other countries do not?
Joining the EU is an opportunity, plain and simple. Cooperation trumps antagonism every time.
Perhaps our biggest problem is that we have some in our midst who typify the adage "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing".
Your liberty vs. security argument is also specious. Of course everyone uses that justification, because it's true.
Would you rather not have police and military? We'd be freer without them, but would we be more secure? This is a trade-off that all non-wackos accept, just like the rule of law.
btw., now that I'm at it, your Switzerland example is also rather frivolous. Have you ever heard of the EFTA?
See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Free_Trade_Association
If anything, Switzerland likely has more in common with Bosnia than it does with Hrvatska… due to the fact that Switzerland, like Bosnia is a "buffer zone" between 3 larger powers. IE France, Germany, and Italy. Bosnia is similarly such a buffer zone today.
Also, there's no "if" about Hrvatska joining the EU, it's been happening for the better part of a decade. It's a done deal.
Yes JP another Yugoslavia. The EU is a concept, an idea to create a European Super State identical to the idea of creating a Pan Slavic Super State, Yugoslavia. All members of the EU are required to give up control over their boarders and cede economic control to Brussels. Eventually each member state will be required to cede political control too, for this super state to function properly, but that comes later. This is clearly being constructed slowly. Yugoslavia was very similarly constructed. Each member state had no control over its boarders and economic and political control by all members was ceded to Belgrade (supposedly shared by all members) in the creation of a Pan Slavic Super State, Yugoslavia. The difference between Yugoslavia and the EU is that you don’t have this brutal overt oppression like you did under communist Yugoslavia and the EU is capitalistic and democratic in some aspects. However, the idea of subordinating national interests under the guise of creating a super state in order to ensure “security” is the exact same argument the creators of the old Yugoslavia used. Now if Croatia joins the EU Serbian domination will be replace, with German, French, Italian and English supremacy. Surrendering liberty for security never works. You would think Croatia learned that lesson this century. The only people who can solve the problems in Croatia are Croatians, not some unelected bureaucrats from Brussels. Look at Switzerland, they are not members of NATO or the EU and are doing very well for themselves. Believe me the EU will not solve Croatia’s problems. Only Croatians can do that for themselves.
@Anon
Yes indeed, Greece is getting credit from the EU… that's obvious enough to everyone, that it doesn't need to be mentioned. The EU is insuring that Greece remains solvent. I don't see Russia or China running to do the same for Greece.
Keep in mind that not all EU members are "in equally deep". In general, there's two components to EU integration… the EU itself, and the EMU (European Monetary Union…Ie the Euro currency). The former includes all 28 members, and the latter, approximately half as many.
As I said, in my opinion I think Hrvatska should not take the Euro. Actually, it's not even an option for us at this point anyway. There's various reasons why I suggest this, and in fact, due to my line of work, I've been suggesting this course of action (to keep the Kuna, while joining the EU) for a long time (5 years or more).
Remember, Greece has followed its own independent economic policies, and they turned out to be very reckless. Now granted, some of Greece's recklessness was indulged by the relative strength of the Euro in the last few years, but it's still sovereign Greece's fault and responsibility. Greece has to pay the bill, not the EU.
Likewise, Hrvatska, within or without the EU, still has to pay its debts to its bondholders. That won't change.
In regard to your NATO comments, all I have to say is "Duh"… Of course NATO "isn't shit" without the US, as you so eloquently put it. The US started the organization after all…
Do you honestly think that the EU and the US have different agenda's?
Who do you think rebuilt Germany and France after WWII? Remember Elvis… he was stationed in Germany 🙂 In fact, the first loan ever given out by the IMF, was given to France…
As you may know, NATO was started after WWII to combat the Iron Curtain… After the fall of the Iron Curtain (Ie after the fall of the USSR and all of its "former colonies"), NATO's mission has likewise changed.
Anyway, to make a long story short, NATO predates the EU, and without NATO being created, it's likely that no such thing such as the EU ever comes to exist. It's all part of the same program.
Hrvatska is in the process of fully joining this program for the first time. This is reality. It's fait accompli.
Hrvatska's joining the program, and so perhaps, maybe it's time you get with the program too.
@JP
Greece entered the EU and still failed. And is now being given a bailout, I don't know if know this or not, but those billions of dollars is a loan, not a gift. They need to pay that shit back. Indebted to the EU, what a great deal. And for your NATO comment, again NATO isn't shit without the US.
@Anon,
Hey, why don't you use your regular name? It's quite obvious that you are a regular contributor to CSR, but are for some reason intimidated to use your handle.
As for your comments… do you actually think that the EU members will go to war with one another at some point in the future?
Anything is possible, but as things are right now, it seems highly, highly, unlikely. If the EU dissolves, sure all bets are off then, but I don't feel that that will happen either.
Also, don't confuse little "skirmishes" like Georgia/South Ossetia for war. Plus, that's barely even in Europe, if at all.
What I am saying (and I thought that I made it clear) is that it's unlikely that we'll see a continent-wide war like WW1 or WW2 again.
As for your US comments, we already have that with NATO. If you haven't noticed, NATO and the EU largely go hand in hand with one another. That's not a coincidence.
In regard to your "Economic-analysis", and I use that term very kindly in your respect… do you live in a cave?
Try this… go to google, and type in "Greece debt bailout".
@JP
What has the EU done for other countries other than basically Germany, who profits from its mass exports? Look at Greece, Hungary, Romania, shit even Spain. EU will not do anything more for Croatian than Croatia can do for itself. Plain and simple. And to say Europe won't have a war again. Quite a laughable statement. European countries never get along and basically share a hatred towards every country that borders the country in question. And if we want Croatia to never worry again, don't turn to the pansy European nations, allow the US to build a base on one of the islands and I assure you that no one will f*** with Cro again.
@Bronk
You're kidding right?
Do you actually believe that the "EU is just a bigger version of Yugoslavia"?
Seriously?
JP your comments sound like you just finished reading Samuel P. Huntington's book Clash of Civilizations. It's an interesting book. I'm sure JP enjoyed it too:) Huntington' arguments are the same as JP's.
Any who
My take on the EU:
The problem I see with the EU is that Croatia will lose control over its economic sovereignty. This is huge. If a country cannot control its boarders or its economy, you cease to have a country. All major economic decisions if Croatia joins the EU will be decided in Brussels by some unelected bureaucracy which Croatia has no control over. At least when Croatia's government is crooked today, the people know who to blame and they can vote them out in the next election and hold them accountable. What do Croatian's do when the government that they elect, no longer has any control over their countries economic decisions? How do you hold a bureaucracy in another country accountable when they are not elected by Croatian's or anybody else for that matter? This whole EU is just a bigger version of Yugoslavia. Croatia has built up a highway network and has done an incredible job modernizing all on its own. It will clearly take time for Croatia to completely modernize but I think they have done a great job considering they recently came out of a war. Finally, the second you open up the markets in Croatia to the entire EU, foreigners will come in and buy up everything in sight, and Croatian's will find themselves dispossessed in their own country.
Thanks Denis
Fair enough…I think I will do that:) Glad you like the article.
"The Fix" is shocking to read. It blew my mind when I read it.
Another crazy book on this stuff is called the "Fix Is In" deals more with N/A Sports not soccer. The authors name is Brian Tuoghy equally crazy and very current.
http://www.thefixisin.net/ That's the guys web site. He does sports interviews which are hilarious to listen to. You can listen to them on his site if you are interested. It really makes you wonder when you read this stuff how much of sports is on the level and how much of it is scripted. I think I will take your advice and do that from here on in.
Again glad you like the article.
Part II…
Most importantly for us, Hrvatska endures, and in concert with the EU this will be permanently entrenched. This will never be threatened again, and if it is, we have many powerful allies who will respond as if they themselves have been threatened. I don't think that we will ever see Serbian shells falling on Dubrovnik ever again!
Nor will we likely to be drawn into continent-wide conflicts like WW1 and WW2. The days of war in Europe are over, and this is no small feat. Just peruse the history of the 20th century, or of the last 2000 years, if you need any examples of this.
In a sense, joining the EU is the natural completion of our unspoken agenda of "differentiation". You could say that our mission has been to separate and differentiate ourselves from our neighbours.
Nobody is confusing a Serb for a Hrvat anymore. Nor will they ever again. This is independence!
We are unique racially, ethnically, and culturally, and now everybody knows it, and respects it. This is perhaps our greatest victory. And EU accession is the crowning achievement of this movement. We are a strong, unique, and talented people who are not Serb, not Russian, not Italian, not Turkish, and not German. The Pan-Slav meme is permanently dead. Lets dance on its grave! We should be dancing in the streets in joyous revelry!!!
Our EU accession is only the beginning of this process. In 20 years, as the old Yugo ideology dies further still within our borders, our bloom will continue. This is guaranteed.
I personally think that after us, it's going to be a long time before the EU expands further. Don't believe the hype, as our retrograde neighbours have a lot of work to do, to even realistically sniff at membership. Meanwhile, we advance.
I welcome thoughts from all of you on this…
Ps. Who cares what the Czechs think.
Good to see some discussion developing here.
@Anonymous
For sure my "United States of Europe" analogy is not perfect, but then again, analogy is hardly ever perfect.
It's given that the range of cultural difference in Europe is far greater, although at the same time, you also discount the quite diverse regional cultures of the USA.
Boston, New Orleans, Dallas, San Francisco and Salt Lake City for example, arguably represent as much diversity of culture as Amsterdam, Rome, Dublin, Stockholm, and Zagreb. Of course the depth of history is not comparable, but that's literally only a matter of time.
Personally, I think it's best for Hrvatska to accede, but meanwhile keep the Kuna for the long haul. Simple.
Questions of sovereignty are always nebulous at best, as is most international law. Most people ascribe sovereignty loosely as a form of "independence", which isn't a bad approximation. And if this is the case here, Hrvatska is certainly not losing it's independence, by any means. If you look at all the details of how the Union actually functions, it's not as if all the Provinces are inexorably bound to the directives of Brussels. It's not a dictatorship, although you and others go a long way to painting it as such. That's simply not true.
"Independence" is largely a fiction anyway… Were we independent during the NDH? Hardly. Were we "independent" during our 800 or so years under the Austro-Hungarian sphere? I think we can all agree that we certainly were not "Independent" during our unfortunate Yugoslavia days.
So when were we last "independent"? Probably, that ends 800 years ago, in the dark ages, with the end of our Kings.
And since then, with the Enlightenment, Industrialization, and the birth of the idea of the nation-state, (and many other developments) the idea of what "independence" means, has changed considerably.
Frankly, as Hrvati, you could argue that we were a very important part of an early EU, back in the day when our line of Kings died out, and we accepted the Magyar Crown.
Along the same lines, our acceptance of Catholicism, and hence Rome, is not much different. In fact, these forces are largely responsible for our current situation. We are a small-nation and our allies have always been important for our survival.
So I ask you… what has changed?
Anyway, on a larger scale Hrvatska is in the process of a complete modernization. Here I'm talking about post-industrial modernization, not cultural modernity, which we have always had.
Geo-politically, culturally, and thus historically, we have always literally been the border of modernity. The Occident ends, and the Orient begins, where our borders are marked. Not much has changed. Our gaze has always been fixed firmly "Westward". And so it continues.
I also think that most Euro-skeptics forget some very important things that the EU insures for us.
Continued in Part II…
@King Bronk,
Well written article!
Like I said in the past, feel free to add to this blog anytime. I think instead of commenting multiple times on multiple posts, you should post an article every now and then on matchfixing. What do you think?
You can be the Croatian Declan Hill
I am still reading this book whenever I find the time. Interesting and sad at the same time.
@Alex,
You can delete your comments by clicking on the "trashcan" icon next to the date. I deleted your last comment by request.
Ah, ignore last post about referendums- I see that only Ireland had a referendum while the rest were decided by parliamentary majorities.
This blog needs a "delete comments" function…
I don't the Czech president Vaclav Klaus much agrees with you> http://tv.nationalreview.com/uncommonknowledge/post/?q=MmExZTU2NTNiZmU5NTBjZGJiYjBmOGJlZDg0YmU3MTc=
As for other nations I'm not too knowledgeable of their national politics but more often than not you see that the political class lock out differing opinions on the EU and refuse to go to referendums (e.g. David Cameron's backflip on holding a vote on the Lisbon Treaty) because they know more often than not that the masses usually vote against further EU powers such as when they miserably failed to pass the EU Constitution.
Croatia's not the only small European nation to struggle for independence "for millenia" and then agree to join the EU. Look at Slovakia, Czech republic, Poland, Lithuania for starts. The real question is; how do the majority(not everyone, but most) feel about their nations ascension to the EU? Do they regret it? Are they reluctantly satisfied? Or are they totally happy about it? Idk, but I'm not aware of any great movement(in those countries) to secede from the EU. Maybe I'm wrong, but Ive never heard of Slovakians wanting to join Croatia (out of the EU).
Re: Dinamo are a disgrace to Hrvatsaka
I know 2-1 against Rijeka. Bloody shocking result.
The difference between the USA and the "United States of Europe" is the difference between night and day. The USA share a common culture, language and shared sense of identity etc. (a more apt comparison would be if USA, Mexico and Canada joined themselves in a union or even Yugoslavia) – Europe by contrast is a federation of nations with a multiplicity by 30 in differences in culture, language etc. You’ve got to be fair-dinkum joking if you thing the powers that be will have Croatia’s interests at heart. The big countries can do whatever they want to without being bound to the same extent as Croatia will when it joins the EU. We will have decisions made for us by others without us desiring it or otherwise (our capacity to make decisions in our own self-interest will be mostly abrogated). The fact is if we told the EU to shove it we wouldn’t need to hand over Gotovina and Slovenia wouldn’t have a leg to stand on the territorial dispute. Croat’s fought for their independence and sovereignty for millennia only for us to ascertain those rights and then hand it over back to the very people who have f@#ked us over before.
First off, I personally feel that EU ascension should be decided by Croats in Croatia, not by the diaspora(Hercegovci included). Owning property and/or a business there isn't the same as living(and dying) there.
With that said, and to greatly oversimplify, EU ascension would greatly benefit trade and the building/improvement of infrastructure via EU funding(there's those jobs you're talking about). The negatives would be the gaining of an unwieldy bureacracy in which some sovereignity is lost. Also, we've seen this year that the EU doesn't guarantee economic well-being. The question is whether the often abstract and symbolic issues of sovereignity are more important than the day-to-day bread and butter economic issues.
Ziva, I think you hit the nail on the head there. Nuff said.
As for Mssrs. Anonymi…
#1 says this:
"I think it's an unnecessary ceding of Croatian independence and sovereignty to powers that do not have Croatia’s interests at heart."
That's an interesting perspective… but can you be a little more specific?
Does Obama have the state of New Hampshire's interests "at heart"? Of course he does… We're joining the United States of Europe, and that's huge… legally they must have our interests at heart…
You continue…
"It has made our political class collectively stoop to the level of a dog having to hand over Gotovina and also being to ransom by Slovenia over the territorial dispute all because they want to join the EU."
This sounds like some sort of wounded pride to me… anyway, I think if you look at the big picture, these are very small concessions to make in the long run… of course as a Hrvat I would like to see us "win" every tangle outright, but life doesn't necessarily work that way.
As for our political class, I think we can all probably agree that the lot of them are certainly not perfect… there's a lot of dirty "papke" there… and perhaps a little "stooping" as you put it, might be a good thing.
#2 says…
"EU isn't gonna do shit for Croatia. Croatia needs one thing plane and simple, just like California needs right now. And thats jobs, and trust me when I say that joining the EU will not create jobs!"
I don't trust you… and your logic isn't helping this situation. Sure, everywhere could use more jobs… there's lots of transitions going on economically everywhere, if you haven't noticed.
Also, thinking that all we need is jobs is very naive, and of course not true… we need lots of things.
Jobs don't come from some magic place… they come from people like you and me. And they certainly don't come from sitting in the "Cafic'" all day smoking cigarettes.
Anyway, if I had to surmise, it seems that you are displaying some "sense of entitlement", where the world "owes" you something.
I think it's downright ignorant to say that the "EU isn't gonna do shit for Croatia"… when you have something more intelligent to say then that, then I'll bother to give you countless specific examples showing you why that's not true.
Ziva its not an attack its the news. Unfortunatly Dinamo is on the wrong end of it.
lets go easy on the attacks at dinamo. i am a hajduk guy and hajduk is no better than dinamo on this.
and judging by the lack of responses to the topic, i think most people just dont care because this is nothing new to them. Once people go down or clubs are punished, then it will be news. Until then, its business as usual.
EU isn't gonna do shit for Croatia. Croatia needs one thing plane and simple, just like California needs right now. And thats jobs, and trust me when I say that joining the EU will not create jobs!
Good informative article even if you do get undeserved and deserved criticism a lot of the time for preoccupation with match-fixing.
As for the EU in general I think it's an unnecessary ceding of Croatian independence and sovereignty to powers that do not have Croatia’s interests at heart. It has made our political class collectively stoop to the level of a dog having to hand over Gotovina and also being to ransom by Slovenia over the territorial dispute all because they want to join the EU. The implications of EU accession football wise I think are positive with our top players having far greater accessibility to the top leagues in Europe.
dinamo are a disgrace to Hrvatska
Great job guys, and kudos Bronk, very well-written.
btw., I was wondering what you all thought about the upcoming EU accession for Hrvatska, both in general, and for nogomet?
Perhaps this could be your next article Bronk…?
Wow! Nice job guys!
Have a great weekend.