I write to you now as I have come across some new information. I watched the game on ESPN in America, and when coach Slaven Bilić was screaming at the 4th official at the end of the game; and then later at the referee, it was not because of an added time issue. This is something either ESPN broadcasters didn’t catch or didn’t report. Bilić wanted to make his third and final substitution after Klasnić’s goal. He was caught in celebration so waited for a dead ball to make the move. When Croatia was flagged for an offsides, that is when the 4th official should have notified the referee. If you catch a replay, you can see Bilić, a Croatian sub (looks to be Nikola Pokrivač) and the 4th official standing at midfield when the offsides whistle was blown. Turkish goalie, Rustu, quickly launched the ball down field instead which resulted in the equalizer. If you watch when Bilić charges the 4th official after the Turkish goal was scored, you can see that the official has the electronic substitution board in his hands and had already used it to put up the extra time moments before. COMPLETE REFEREE ERROR!!!
The game is over, it is what it is, and I’m not trying to justify a Croatian win here. Like I said before, that game should have never even made extra time. Croatia should have won in regular time. But I do want to hear what all of you have to say about this.
I hope that all the Croatian supporters around the world are doing well while coping with Friday’s loss. It happened, we’ll be better because of it and I’m already awaiting Eduardo’s return and the start of World Cup qualifying.
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
Sharbini has a Palastinian father and Croatian mother.
No Argentina, I am not you but then again, maybe I am you in the sense that we both seem to be big fans of Croatian football… and if anybody wants to see anything on Dario Cvitanich just type up the name on YouTube and you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Banfield is an Argentine club that seems to always have a few sons or sons of sons of Croatia on their team. And as far as using our diaspora… Croatia is a small country… and we have as many Croatian descendants as there are in Croatia so it only seems natural to draw from that wealth.
And today in football every national team has either naturalized players from other countries or they recruit through blood lines. That’s just part of the modern game that every nation is a part of. Holland has lots of players from it’s previous Dutch colonies such as Surinam. The French have a team full of ex colonies, The Italians have Camaronesi who is Argentine. We have Dudu and hopefully soon we’ll add a Cvitanich to our roster of players.
There was talk by the Croatian Federation boss Markovic about Cvitanich prior to Euro 2009 but I think the thought of bringing Cvitanich was neither feasible because Dario was comitted to finishing his last season with Banfield in the Argentine Clausura and also it would not have been fair to all the players on the Croatian squad who labored through qualifications. Team unity was a premium and it would have cheapened what it meant to represent the national team. I agree with that.
But now that Euro 2008 is over for Croatia they can really begin to tinker with the team and give Dario a shot.
Oh, just in case, there are two other players of Croatian decent playing at the junior level with another Argentine club… but I’ll keep that secret until the right moment.
I am absolutely convinced that the best way for Croatian football to move forward is to use all of it’s diaspora as a resource in all continents. If you think about it, Croatia’s Independence wouldn’t have happened without the help of the diaspora so the logic follows.
Blood is blood… no matter how far or how long it’s traveled… if it goes two or three generations does it make someone not Croatian. I don’t think so. In fact, the diaspora is hardcore… remember… most didn’t leave their beloved Croatia out of choice. It wasn’t like they got tired of living in Croatia and decided to move to Chile… if you know what I mean.
Now with that said, I know there’s another Brazilian kid out there with a last name ending in OVIC… there’s got to be.
OH… and last but not least, the midfielder who plays for Rijeka… I think it’s Sharbini who is Croatian of Mideast decent… he was originally included in Bilic’s 23 squad but I guess was dropped at the last moment.
And let’s see how Ante Rukavina develops… he’s still young.
During my lifetime Croatia will lift either a Euro trophy or the World Cup. We all know that will happen… we just need to nurture future players…
a lesson Slaven Bilic all taught us when he consoled Srna after the game… that showed character and strength and emotion. Three things the Croatians have always had and are discovering how to use at each step in international tournaments.
Croatia won three games at Euro and the fourth was a lottery. It’s just the beginning folks… just the beginning.
Every one gets angry at Croatia saying we steal players from other countries. But why wouldn’t you use such a great diaspora to your advantage?
Dario would be great for Croatia. He says he wouldn’t have to think twice if asked by Croatia. Bilic should definately get him on board for world cup qualifying!!!!
Anonymous, You are not me, but right now I love you for finally having somebody aboard the Cvitanic train!
DARIO! COME SCORE GOALS!
Rakitic Vukojevic/Pokrivac Modric
Kranjcar
Cvitanich Dudu
WOW!
Ante,
After watching the replay here:
http://www.net.hr/sport/ukratko/page/2008/06/23/0032006.html
it is clear that Bilic was trying make his third and final substitution. I agree with you, there is nothing left to do but root for the Germans…..
Modern football like old football has not changed it’s primary objective since the invention of the game. With that said, Croatia scored one goal and Turkey scored one goal and then Turkey scored more goals than Croatia in penalties. Teams never win a game by playing better on the pitch… in fact, we all know and maybe we just like kidding ourselves because losing is never an easy thing to accept. But thank God that football hasn’t changed in that perspective at all.
Croatia played a decent game of football against the Turks but didn’t score when they should have.
Olic scores goals but he’s not a pure goal scorer. This is the game where it was shown how much Croatia missed the talents of Eduardo. And as much as one might want to deny that, we all know it’s true.
But there is hope. Hope which comes from abroad from far away lands… something Croatia is good at. Finding the lost sons of Croatia whose parents or grandparents have emigrated as so many have in the last century. Croatia got Rakitic from Switzerland, Dudu from Brazil and now there is another Croatian superstar hopefully on his way to join the Vatreni. Dario Cvitanich, the leading goalscorer in the Argentinean Clausura who just scored his last two goals against River Plate. Unlike dopey ex teammate Daniel Bilos, who by the way also played for Banfield in Argentina and was Dario’s teammate, let me be absolutely clear. Dario Cvitanich is the real deal. To be the leading goalscorer in Argentina is no easy task. He’s fast, skillful as all hell and he terrorizes defenses in the air, can shoot with either foot and most of all Dario posesses that killer instinct for GOALS!!!!!!!!!
Now, if the Croatian Federation approaches Dario, who is going to play his football with Ajax of Holland next season, Dario has already expressed his great joy and interest to be called up for the national team. Bilos on the other hand, advised by his agent Hugo Issa of Argentina that he would surely get a call up for the Argentines in 2006 and also his girlfriend who attended a meeting at the Croatian embassy in Buenos Aires didn’t want Bilos to go to Europe because she feared losing her meal ticket. Well, now she can have him!!!! Because we all know what happened in 2006. The Argentines played him for 18 minutes in one match in 2006 and said thanks Bilos and then he was sold to St. Etienne from Boca Juniors who then laid him off to America in the Mexican league and is now at second tier club San Lorenzo in the Argentine league as a substitute. I don’t feel sorry for the guy at all but I’m sure he questions all that great advise given to him.
Dario Cvitanich has the advantage of knowing all this information and will not make the same mistake. Croatia need Dario Cvitanich… and I’m saying that not from articles I’ve read but actually watching him play in league games in Argentina. He’s the real deal and only 24 years of age. With Dudu and Dario up front…. Croatia’s goal scoring problems would be a thing of the past. Dario already has a Croatian passport and is waiting for the call. Slaven Bilic should visit the young man in Amsterdam and by the way, Dario also has a reputation of being a great person and very down to earth… so Croatia must use all of it’s strengths in football…
And one of the main strengths that Croatians have is that their diaspora is wide and far across the globe… for as long as the sons have been lost… they are out there… waiting to be called home and play for the land of their forefathers and ancestors. We should always be on the look out for such talents because they are out there… Croats excel and so do their sons and the sons of their sons… because in the end OUR BLOOD IS STRONG!!!!
And if that wasn’t true we would not be around to even cheer a national team… think about it.
Slaven, don’t wait too long. Dario wants to score!!!