Dark Side of Croatia's World Cup Success

Usually, a series of positive facts should come together for a national football team to get a realistic chance to win the World Cup. But in Croatia's case, a country that plays for the first time in a World Cup final, this rule does not seem to be implemented.

The Croatian football club GNK Dinamo Zagreb is the best illustrationist of problems characterising the Croatian football scene. The Swiss-based International Centre for Sports Studies has discovered that the Croatian side is the fourth most important supplier of footballers in Europe's best teams.

Indeed, Dinamo's games are popular with agents seeking new talents. And the club on the other side, benefits greatly in terms of material, reported “DW” Transmission Periscope.

In theory, this would make a solid Dinamon team in the Champions League. In practice, however, very difficult for them to move into the team phase of the Champions League, even if that happens, they make very little progress.

The reason for this is very simple. The talented players very soon leave at other European clubs, so building a big team is very challenging and perhaps impossible.

“Croatia's Golden Generate” with football legends such as Zvonimir Boban, Davor Suker and Allen Bocsic, who were part of the 1998 World Cup and were awarded a third seat.

But all of them have not played for their country's teams. For many years, Dinamo has perfected his business by creating talent to sell the biggest clubs.

Momic and Crime Machine in Croatian Football

Zdravko Momic and his family have been involved in this scheme. The former president of Dinamo Zagreb moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina before the World Cup began.

A court found him guilty of quick enrichment, tax fraud, and other crimes. Momic, who also started selling stadium seats, is said to have received an annual reduction in the salaries of Croatian football players playing abroad for the time they would have played in those teams.

Stars like Luca Modric, Mario Mandzukic, Dejan Lovren and former player Ivica Olic are involved in this vicinity. Modric, the national team's captain, has issued a conflicting statement during testimony in court.

The first time, he admitted that he had paid Mamatz but would later attract the words. Now he is suspected of lying under oath.

Croatian football is full of scandals. During the 2016 European Championship, Croatian Football Federation President Dario Suker had pressured Croatia's coach over tactics and replacements during the game.

Things don't look too good in the Croatian football league. Clubs like Split, Rijeka or Osijek feel powerless in the face of secret agreements to establish Dinamo Zagreb's team. The planned games are not just gossip, rivals would be surprised if the game was not won by Dinamo Zagreb.

Franjo Tudjman, the first president to declare Croatia an independent state, was aware that football is the only way to represent the nation in the international level. He had a major impact on Croatian football.

Now, the small country on the Adriatic coast has all chance of becoming a football giant./Periscopi/