Amy Lawrence talks to the proud men of Croatia, a nation that has emerged from the ravages of war to create a team capable of challenging Europe’s finest
SINGING the cherished national anthem with hand on heart, wearing the red and white check shirt of Croatia, is a feeling beyond description for the 11 men who faced England last Wednesday. As their country endeavours to recover from the ravages of war, the final refrain is deeply poignant: “When his dear ones go to heaven, still his heart beats for Croatia.”
Igor Stimac, the defender who has been the backbone of Derby County’s resurgence this season, recalls how different it was when the Croatians played in Yugoslavia’s colours. “We were expected to sing the Yugoslavian national anthem but we didn’t want to,” he said. “Now we are so proud to sing the national song of Croatia. We can think we are Croatian and we can say we are Croatian. We couldn’t do that before.”
In an attempt to express how vexing that was, Stimac releases a wry laugh. To say it was frustrating is the understatement of a lifetime. “When I used to play for Yugoslavia it meant nothing. It was only sport, nothing else. Now the feeling in incomparable.”
When a Croatian player represents his country, it isn’t just a boost to his personal pride. He feels the pride of a nation striving to express itself to the world.
As tension in the area grew in the late Eighties, Croatian players refused to play in Yugoslavia and returned to their home towns en masse. With the break-up of the league, and before the formation of a Croatian league, clubs played friendly matches to keep the teams alive. The cream of international talent dispersed to the Italian, Spanish, French and German leagues. Clubs were, and still are, in desperate need of money.
Stimac went to Cadiz: “In Spain, and here now, I was representing my country. I was worried about my family and friends who were fighting but my fight was on the green field. I tried to get interviews on TV and in newspapers to explain what we were doing and how we feel. We were fighting for our democracy and we want to live in peace.
“Many people still think we are are Yugoslavian. They say ‘You are Yugoslavian?’ I say ‘No, I am Croatian.’ They ask ‘Croatian?’ ” Stimac sighs. After 70 years living under Yugoslavian dictatorship, it is hard having to justify the existence of your country to people who have never even heard of it.
The language of war has always been considered apposite as an analogy for football. Robbie Fowler is Liverpool’s potent weapon, Robert Lee Newcastle’s midfield general, Andy Cole fires blanks for Manchester United. But Croatia are using football to express the language of peace. “We are ambassadors of our country,” says Stimach, “And as not many of us have this opportunity to explain about our country and our people, we are all doing a very important job.”
Football in Croatia continued during wartime. “We played under bombs and fires,” says Stimac. “For the first few months it was very frightening, but after a while, you have to live your life.” Players who were in the army went to the stadiums in their uniform to play,.
Retaining sporting and cultural activity was essential to boost the spirit and identity of Croatian people and, even in the most heavily bombarded areas, events took place in open parks and squares. Zagreb and Split were relatively unharmed but it was too dangerous to use the football stadia in Osijek and Zadar so the clubs had to play 50km away.
“It was very difficult because many players had brothers who died in the war,” reflects Ivan Katalinic, who recently departed as manager of Hadjuk Split to take over at Osijek in a bid to help them qualify for Europe.
Participating in European competition is a symbol of Croatia’s regeneration. Last season Hadjuk reached the quarter finals of the European Cup and Stimac returned from Cadiz to help the cause: “We all came back, we won the double and the Super Cup and played so well in the European Champions League. It was the greatest season in my life. It gave my people hope.”
Croatian football can now look to the future and clubs are beginning to reinstate youth policies. “During five years of war we couldn’t train youngsters,” reflects Katalinic. “Now we have seven-year-olds playing again and we expect great talent to develop. We wait for them to flourish.”
The rise of the national team has been remarkably quick. They won their debut game 2- 0 in Spain. “To beat such a great footballing country in our first match was incredible,” says Stimac. That result gave the team the self-belief to approach their Euro 96 qualifying group with confidence.
They won it, beating Italy away in the process, a result which startled the rest of Europe. “We beat the big Italy!” gasps Katalinic, the former Southampton goalkeeper who is also one of Croatia’s assistant coaches. “And now we are playing in Euro 96, we know we have made it to big time.”
Stimac is not surprised by such rapid success: “Six of us were in the Yugoslavian youth team that were world champions in 1987. We have played together for years, we know each other very well and are as one family. The team spirit is like an extra man. Our strong character is very important. We are born leaders, six or seven of us are captains of our clubs. Having six or seven leaders can’t be bad.”
Gary Lineker is among a growing number to back Croatia as one of the Euro 96 favourites. Last week Terry Venables suggested Wednesday’s friendly might be a preview of the final. (He should be so lucky.) Croatia’s intense passion, allied with a stern defence and the inventive talents of Milan’s Boban, Barcelona’s Prosinecki, Lazio’s Boksic and, with 17 goals in as many games, Seville’s Suker, creates a potent force.
“Some of the favourites want to make us favourites to put the charge on our back,” laughed Stimac. “I don’t think so. It’s our first tournament and we have no experience of playing a really big game every three days. We will do our best. I think we will get to the quarter-finals, and anything after that would be excellent. It means a lot to our people to qualify, they don’t have too many chances to be happy.”
An estimated 90% of the Croatian population watched last week’s events at Wembley on television. The few hundred supporters that went to England brought a flag that was large enough to fill the penalty area, shades of the flag hung at Knin when it was liberated. When the national anthem struck up, a few more scars of war were healed, “Beautiful is our homeland, oh so fearless, oh so gracious …”