Photo: Niksa Stipancev, Osijek-Torcida fight in Šibenik
Šibenik showed up to play in the first half, building a 2-0 halftime lead. Osijek managed to fight back in the second half and equalize to split the points. Game was overshadowed by a fight at a Šibenik pizzeria, where Torcida met up with Kohorta.
Karlovac [0 - 0] Croatia Sesvete
Istra 1961 [3 - 1] Lokomotiva Zagreb
200 fans showed up in Rijeka for this "heavyweight" battle. This is not a typo.
Photo: Ranko Suvar
Dinamo Zagreb [4 - 0] Međimurje
Photo: Nenad Dugi, Mario Mandžukić
Dinamo Zagreb took care of business once again. Two games, 11 goals, 0 goals against, enough said. Can you say another championship?
Photo: Nenad Dugi, Dinamo-Medimurje
Varteks Varaždin [1 - 1] NK Rijeka
Photo: net.hr, Rijeka rested the Sharbini's for Europa League
Photo: net.hr, Rijeka-Varteks
Varteks 1 Rijeka 1
Cibalia Vinkovci [1 - 0] Slaven Belupo
Hajduk Split [0 - 1] NK Zadar
Photo: Cropix, Hajduk playing behind closed doors
Hajduk Split had to play behind closed doors serving this penalty as a result of trouble caused by fans last season. There was nothing for the Torcida to cheer about as Hajduk went down 1-0 to Zadar.
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Hajduk fans showed up in numbers to give Hajduk support
Zadar 1 Hajduk 0
Photo: Josip Maljak, Ante Miše resigned after the loss
Miše before Hajduk-Zadar match
Miše resigns!
Next Matches: Round 3
Tuesday, August 4th
FC Salzburg at Dinamo Zagreb (Champions League Qualifier)
Thursday, August 6th
Tromsø IL at NK Slaven Koprivnica(Europa Liga Qualifier)
MŠK Žilina at HNK Hajduk Split(Europa Liga Qualifier)
HNK Rijeka at FC Metalist Kharkiv(Europa Liga Qualifier)
Less than 24 hours after the "melee", Hajduk president Mate Peroš issued a letter to UEFA and NK Žilini:
(sorry, no English translation. Too long, too lazy.)
"UEFA
Iako kao klub nemamo nikakve veze s gostovanjem navijača Hajduka u Žilini (Slovačka), jer se organiziranjem navijačkih ekspedicija za praćenje naših utakmica i inače ne bavimo a pogotovo sada u situaciji kad je UEFA zabranila dolazak Hajdukovim navijačima na dvije međunarodne utakmice, moramo Vam uputiti protest zbog neobjašnjive brutalnosti slovačke policije koju je iskazala uoči utakmice Žilina – Hajduk u četvrtak 30. srpnja.
Navijači iz Hrvatske koji su u vlastitim aranžmanima došli u Žilinu naprosto su vrlo brutalno izubijani, tjerani konjima po okolnim ulicama blizu stadiona i premlaćivani čak i onda kad su bili u poziciji da ne mogu pružiti ni objašnjenje a posebice otpor. Neshvatljivo je da slovački policajci nisu ni pokušali mirnijim načinom i objašnjenjima ukazati navijačima iz Hrvatske da ne mogu, unatoč posjedovanju ulaznica, ući u stadion. Tzv. treći stupanj prema njima je primijenjen od prvog kontakta. Tko god je tog trenutka prepoznat kao Hrvat ili čak i pokušao na hrvatskom zatražiti objašnjenje bio je poput "stoke" stjeran u tor!
Posljedica je bila nekoliko desetina ozlijeđenih,slomljenih ruku,razbijenih glava... Nama, vodstvu kluba koje je bilo na toj utakmici, nije i ne može biti razumljiva takva brutalnost organa reda u nama inače prijateljskoj zemlji, u Europskoj uniji! Napominjemo još jednom da mi, klub Hajduk, nemamo nikakve veze ni s dolaskom navijača iz Hrvatske niti nabavljanjem ulaznica za njih. Oni su ih legalno kupovali preko slovačkih agencija ali to im je pomoglo samo da dobiju batine a ne gledanje utakmice. Ako ih doista nisu htjeli u svom gradu i na svom stadionu zašto su im onda prodavali ulaznice?
Na ovaj način protestiramo prvenstveno zbog rijetko viđene brutalnosti organa reda, pogotovo jer navijači iz Hrvatske nisu bili začetnici nereda.
Nogometni klub Žilina
Nakon prve od dvije međunarodne utakmice između naša dva kluba, Žiline i Hajduka, zahvaljujemo Vam na gostoprimstvu našeg kluba ali Vas nažalost moramo upozoriti na ono što se događalo uoči same utakmice. Naime vaša Policija brutalno je pretukla naše brojne navijače na ulicama u neposrednom susjedstvu stadiona, iako oni, kako smo kasnije čuli, nisu za takvu intervenciju davali nikakva povoda. Istina, sigurno je da su bili revoltirani što unatoč kupljenim ulaznicama ne mogu ući na stadion. Neshvatljivo je da vaši organi reda nisu ni pokušali nekim mirnijim načinom objasniti navijačima da ne mogu na stadion iako imaju kupljene ulaznice. Nije nevažno ni to što su navijači iz Hrvatske ulaznice legalno nabavili preko slovačkih agencija!
Iako Hajduk nema nikakve veze s dolaskom navijača iz Hrvatske, jer niti se bave organiziranjem njihovih putovanja, niti im nabavlja ulaznice, ipak ne možemo ne ukazati na naše užasavanje i osudu takvih brutalnih postupaka prema našim navijačima od kojih je veliki broj završio u bolnici i s ozbiljnim ozljedama.
HNS
Od Vas, Hrvatskog nogometnog saveza, kao naše krovne organizacije tražimo da nas podržite u našem protestu zbog divljačkog i brutalnog obračunavanja s našim navijačima uoči utakmice u Žilini 30. srpnja. Iako Hajduk nema nikakve veze sa navijačkim putovanjem ili eventualnim osiguravanjem ulaznica za utakmicu u Žilini, jer se time ionako ne bavimo a kamoli u situaciji kad su Hajdukovi navijači od UEFA-e kažnjeni s dvije utakmice zabrane prisustvovanja utakmicama u inozemstvu, ipak moramo pokazati svoju zgroženost neviđenom brutalnošću koju je u obračunu slovačkih organa reda s navijačima iz Hrvatske.
Bez obzira na kupljenu ulaznicu – legalno i preko agencija u Slovačkoj – ni jedan od njih nije mogao na stadion a čim bi policajci čuli hrvatsku riječ ili prepoznali navijače Hajduka bili su gurani, tučeni i ili konjima gurani u svojevrsni tor! Neshvatljivo nam je da slovački policajci nisu ni pokušali nekim mirnijim i primjerenijim načinom uvjeriti navijače iz Hrvatske da im ulazak na stadion nije dozvoljen.A jednako nam je neshvatljivo da su im bez problema prodavali ulaznice a onda ih dočekali batinama!
S poštovanjem, Mate Peroš Predsjednik Uprave HNK Hajduk Split"
The third round of the Europa League kicked off today with three Croatian teams in action as well as Mladen Petric and Hamburg in Denmark to take on FC Randers. Slaven Belupo were in Norway to take on Tromso, Hajduk Split were in Slovakia to take on Zilina, and Rijeka opened up at home against last years UEFA Cup quarter-finalist Metalist Kharkiv of Ukraine.
Tromso 2 - 1 Slaven Belupo
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Slaven Belupo-Tromso
After a 12-2 Aggregate victory over Macedonian side Milano in the second round, Slaven Belupo started the third round against Norwegian side Tromsø with a 38th minute penalty kick from Nikola Šafarić. However, two second half goals from Morten Opsal Moldskred and Sigurd Rushfeldt just minutes apart in the 67th and 69th minutes of play reversed the tie heading into Koprivnica next Thursday. Slaven's away goal might turn out to be a blessing.
Zilina 1 - 1 Hajduk Split
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Hajduk fans before the match
Torcida was up to its usual tricks today for Hajduk's third round Europa Leage match at Zilina, Slovakia. Dozens of Croatian fans and eight Slovak policemen were injured in the northern Slovakian town of Zilina where the home team were facing Hajduk Split. Around 500 Croatian fans threw stones at police and broke shopwindows in the town as they tried to sneak into the stadium. The police detained 120 Hajduk fans.
Photo: Ante Cizmic, Hajduk fans before the match
Torcida arrived at 5:30pm local time where they were denied entrance to the stadium by hundreds of policemen in riot gear. After a short fight with the police, Torcida leader Stipe Lekić tried to reason with the police. Lekić tried to explain to the Slovakian police that his group purchases tickets outside of Hajduk, however, the police repeated that the Torcida would not be allowed into the stadium.
Photo: Ante Cizmic, Hajduk fans before the match
After Lekić returned to tell the Torcida the news, fighting broke out on the north side. Slovakian police arrived in the hundreds and stampeded the Torcida. The Croatians fired back rocks at the police for about ten minutes. The Slovakian police fired rubber bullets and beat down everyone in their way.
Hajduk fans before the match
Another unfortunate day for Croatian football. I don't think the Slovakians were fair in banning the Torcida, however, they are the host and they make the rules. It would be a shame to have Hajduk thrown out of Europa Liga because of its fans.
Hajduk-Zilina Highlights
The main event(Hajduk-Zilina) failed to top the under card(Torcida vs. Slovak police) in this one. All of the action was outside the stadium, as both teams looked lost in dull and boring 90 minutes of play. Hajduk scored first in the 53rd as Brazilian Paraiba picked off a defensive blunder and chipped the keeper. In the 73rd minute of play Rubil brought down Mraza in the box allowing Zilina to equalize. Now all eyes will be on UEFA and what type of punishment will be handed to the Croatians.
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Hajduk-Zilina
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Hajduk-Zilina
NK Rijeka 1 - 2 Metalist Kharkiv
Photo: Slobodna Dalmacija, Rijeka-Metalist
Instead of celebrating a second Ahmad Sharbini goal in the 84th minute of play and most likely hanging on for a 2-1 victory, Metalist countered and scored 30 seconds later on a Volodymyr Lysenko low strike to give the Ukrainian side a precious 2-1 away victory over Rijeka. In the 84th minute, Sharbini beat a defender and then keeper, fired a shot which hit the post and looked to have bounced over the line before shooting back into play. Rijeka almost stopped playing completely in hopes a reversed call by the referee or linesman. Instead, Metalist surprised Rijeka on the counter, and most likely knocked the Croatians out of Europa league.
Rijeka-Metalist highlights
Randers FC 0 - 4 Hamburger SV
Mladen Petrić played the full 90 minutes in an easy 4-0 away victory for Hamburg against Randers FC of Denmark. Mladen scored in the 53rd minute of a pass from Piotr Trochowski. Piotr was without a doubt the man of the match, assisting on the first three goals and converting the fourth from the spot.
In other news, Bayern Munich's newest signing, Danijel Pranjić failed to convert a penalty kick after going into a shootout against powerhouse Manchester United in the final of the Audi Cup. Bayern ended up victorious 7-6 in the shootout. One of the worst penalty kicks I ever seen. Does Croatia have a PK specialist?
Dinamo Zagreb played to an evenly-matched 1-1 draw against Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg Wednesday night. With Red Bull scoring first only seconds before the halftime whistle, Dinamo had to muster an all important away goal before returning to Zagreb.
In the 63', Mario Mandžukić capitalized on a Red Bull defensive error to make the game 1-1. Dinamo put a long ball into the attacking third in which a Salzburg defender tried to chest the ball back to his goalkeeper. There wasn't enough pace on his chest volley and Mandža quickly swooped in to chip the goalkeeper.
The game as a whole was pretty aggressive. There were multiple scoring opportunities for both sides as shots and crosses were being driven in from all over the field. Tomislav Butina and his counterpart did a fine job to keep the game at 1-1.
The game got a bit out of control in injury time when Mandžukić was being harassed by a Red Bull player while retrieving the ball. Even though the Salzburg player was completely at fault for the incident, Mandžukić completely took a sissy flop as he hit the ground. As he was waiting on the byline to re-enter the game after medical attention, the referee handed Mandžukić his second yellow of the match. He will not play in the second leg.
The match was called immediately after as a linesman was hit in the head with a bottle that was deflected off of Mandža's head. I guess he at least deserves an assist for that.
In other Champions League news on the day, Darijo Srna and Shakhtar Donetsk barely came out with a 2-2 draw at home against FC Timisoara. Fernandinho saved them in the 86'.
Croatia coach Slaven Bilić on Wednesday at hotel Sheraton in Zagreb, named the following 20-man squad for the World Cup European Group Six qualifier against Belarus in Minsk on August 12th.
Vedran Ćorluka (Tottenham Hotspur), Ivica Križanac (Zenit St. Petersburg), Josip Šimunić (Hoffenheim), Hrvoje Čale (Trabzonspor), Dejan Lovren (Dinamo Zagreb).
Midfielders:
Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Jurić (Genoa), Ognjen Vukojević (Dynamo Kiev), Nikola Pokrivač (Monaco), Jerko Leko (Monaco), Danijel Pranjić (Bayern Munich), Luka Modrić (Tottenham), Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth), Ivan Rakitić (Schalke 04).
Forwards::
Ivica Olić (Bayern Munich), Mladen Petrić (Hamburg), Mario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb), Eduardo Da Silva (Arsenal).
"We decided to go with less players because this time we didn't have enough time to prepare with extended training. We were together for only two practices and we only have one match, this is why I decided on only 18 players and 2 keepers. Subašić as you can see is not with us, however, he is still part of our squad, just like Klasnić, Kalinić, Gabrić, Sharbini and Drpić," ~ Slaven Bilić.
Photo: Nenad Dugi, Newest Croatian international Dejan Lovren
When asked why he chose Lovren:
"Dejan plays a position where we have always been strong and had experienced players, however, because of injuries, we are only left with Šimunić and Križanac at this position. Knežević just returned to action, Drpić is looking for a new club, Sablić just returned from surgery, and Kovač and Vejić are both injured." ~ Slaven Bilić
Another controversial topic has been the inclusion of Ivan Jurić. Most people in Croatia, including 24 sata sports writer Marko Vidalina would prefer to see Ivan retired from the national team because of the drama in Zagreb last June against Ukraine.
"We shouldn't make this any more dramatic than it already is and we will have a private meeting in Minsk with Jurić and the rest of the players to clear out the air." ~ Slaven Bilić
Stipe or Vedran?
Bilić is still undecided on who will start between the pipes for Croatia in Minsk.
"There is still plenty of time before the game and I still haven't decided whether to start Runje or Pletikosa," concluded Slaven.
Well, no Mario Galinović, Nikola Kalinić, Ivan Klasnić, Hrvoje Vejić, Dino Drpić, or Robert Kovač. Who deserved a call up? Any surprises? Ivan Jurić still on the squad? Most important question: Stipe or Vedran?
Thanks to prva generacija member Adrien for the heads up on this story.
Dinamo Zagreb are set to take on Red Bull Salzburg in less than 13 hours in their Champions League third qualifying round encounter. With Salzburg only 200 miles away from Zagreb, one thousand Dinamo supporters have already made the trip for the big game with more on the way.
Will the BBB play nice in Austria or will it be a repeat of the friendly a few weeks ago?
Dinamo has a legitimate chance of qualifying for the Group Stage of Champions League this season. If they can get past Red Bull and beat another roughly weak opponent in the playoff round- they're in!
Prediction: Dinamo and Salzburg will play to a conservative 1-1 draw with Mario Mandžukić scoring an important away goal. Dinamo, as a whole unit, will play much better compared to the games against Pyunik.
Any other thoughts before kick off?
In other news, Sparta Prague beat Panathinikos 3-1 in their first leg. Ante Rukavina didn't make the squad for this match. Be your own judge on how Mario Galinović played.
Croatia's 'adopted son' looks to be running on all cylinders to start off his 2009-10 campaign. Eduardo managed to score two very nice placed goals in Arsenal's 5-0 friendly win over Hungarian club Szombathelyi Haladás.
Eduardo played 63 minutes and reports claimed that he looked extremely fit before being subbed out. So far so good. The only thing I now fear for Dudu is if he keeps receiving minor knocks and muscle pulls which will keep him out two to four weeks at a time like his return last season.
Now that Emmanuel Adebayor has moved onto Manchester City, will Eduardo have enough in him to become a starting striker for the Gunners?
The one year experiment of the HNS to expand the Croatian league by four teams is now underway. In it's first week, Dinamo Zagreb showed us why they will undoubtedly be the best club in Croatia this season while Hajduk Split struggled to even earn one point against NK Osijek.
Dinamo should win the league this year by a 12 point margin.
Here are the 1st Round results for July 24-26th...
Dinamo Zagreb [7 - 1] NK Istra 1961
DINAMO'S MIROSLAV SLEPIČKA
NK Osijek [1 - 1] Hajduk Split
HAJDUK HELD TO A DRAW BY OSIJEK
NK Rijeka [6 - 0] NK Lokomotiva
Both Anas Sharbini and Ahmad Sharbibi started off the new season with hat tricks against Lokomotiva.
Nikola Kalinić will not be a member of Portsmouth FC this upcoming season. After traveling to England for a physical, Portsmouth cut ties with the Croatian striker and will not sign Kalinić.
Does this have anything to do with Portsmouth pursuing Egyptian striker Amr Zaki?
Kalinić and his manager Tomislav Erceg are now in contact with Portuguese champions FC Porto.
ORIGINAL REPORT
Net.hr and Index.hr have reported that Nikola Kalinić is now officially the newest member of Portsmouth. The deal between the English club and Hajduk is worth €7.5 million. However, Hajduk has to pay Kalinić 25% of that figure based on his last contract with them. Let's see what they do with the cash.
Niko Kranjčar had a large part to do with this deal as he pushed Portsmouth management to sign Kalinić, who has been given "The Future of Croatian football" title by coach Slaven Bilić. After Portsmouth officials met with Kalinić and his agent over the weekend in Split, the deal to make Kalinić the new #1 striker for Pompey is now a reality.
Third division Croatian soccer club, Dugopolje, opened up their brand new stadium in a friendly against neighbors Hajduk Split Thursday night. The 5,200 seat stadium is part of a larger complex which also includes tennis courts and what looks to be an Olympic size swimming pool.
This is fantastic news that Croatia is building new stadiums and sports complexes in its communities. However, I have a few questions regarding this new stadium in Dugopolje.
Why build a new stadium for a third division team? This new stadium blows Prva Liga venues out of the water. Granted it only holds 5,200 people, the soccer-only field has great sighlines as fans sit right on top of the action. Just imagine it on a bigger scale.
Who financed the operation? We all know that third division teams aren't exactly huge moneymakers. Did the city of Dugopolje or nearby Split front the cash for the complex or is this (hate to say it) another mafia related experiment?
HAJDUK TAKES THE OPENING MATCH 2-0
Nonetheless, the stadium is beautiful and should urge other cities and clubs to build as well. Maksimir needs to be torn down and replaced with a new state-of-the-art stadium in my opinion as even Poljud needs a nice remodel. I hope this is only the start for Croatia as they push towards being an eventual host for Euro Cup.
Reports around Europe are swirling that Hajduk's Nikola Kalinić will be the newest striker for Premier League club Portsmouth. The two sides are set to meet Friday to discuss terms. Rumors in Croatia have a proposed transfer for Kalinić at €8 million. We'll know tomorrow for sure.
Kalinić and Kranjčar together at Fratton Prak. I'll like it only if Kalinić can prove his cockiness was worth such a big deal and manages to score goals in the Premiership. Let's see if this deal goes through first.
Slaven Belupo and NK Rijeka will join Hajduk Split in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Rijeka avenged a 1-0 first leg loss to Luxembourg club Differdange with an easy 3-0 win at the Kantrida Stadium Thursday night. Rijkea got goals from Tarik Cerić(20'), Anas Sharbini(24') and Ahmad Sharbini(64').
Although Rijeka got the job done and will progress to the next round, this result should worry them. A 3-0 win at home over a bunch of shopkeepers from Luxembourg is a disgrace; especially after losing to them in the first leg. Rijeka never put this game away and Differdange were only one goal away from an upset the majority of the match. Captain Ahmad Sharbini scored an insurance goal in the second half to put Rijeka through.
ANAS SHARBINI MISSILES THE BALL FOR RIJEKA'S SECOND GOAL
Rijeka will now play Ukrainian club Metalist Kharkiv in the next round with the home leg set for July 30th. The return leg will take place August 6th in Kharkiv.
If Rijeka plays anything like they did against Differdange, they will get crushed by the Ukrainians. I'd like to be optimistic and say that Rijeka can compete, but I can only see turmoil in the next round for them. I predict a 5-1 aggregate loss for Rijeka. Hopefully they will prove me wrong.
Unlike Rijeka, Slaven Belupo completey obliterated Macedonian side Milano Kumovo in their second leg fixture with an 8-2 victory; going through to the next round 12-2 on aggregate. Although the two-legged tie was over after the first match, as Slaven Belupo won 4-0, they kept the pressure on treating the match as a mere training session. Good for them!
Slaven Belupo will now take on Norwegians Tromsø in the next qualifying round. The first leg will take place July 30th in Norway with a return to Croatia on August 6th. Look for Belupo to make some noise in the next round as well.
Hajduk finally get their European season underway when they take on MŠK Žilina of Slovakia in the third qualifying round. The Poljud should be rockin' when the teams travel to Split to play in the second leg on the 6th of August.
Dinamo Zagreb did what they had to do. It wasn't pretty but they managed to move onto the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round after beating Armenian champions Pyunik 3-0 Tuesday night in Zagreb.
Dinamo will now face Red Bull Salzburg in the next qualifying round. The first leg should take place either July 28th or 29th in Austria. With Salzburg only a two hour train ride from Zagreb, expect lots of Dinamo supporters and BBB to be at the game. How will the BBB fair this time around in Austria compared to the friendly a few weeks ago?
I am not at liberty to comment on the Dinamo match as I was not able to catch it due to work. However, živa istina claimed that "the game was horrible to watch" as dinamofan:) replied with "Basically we did the job - end of story."
MAKSIMIR WAS SILENT AND EMPTY AS DINAMO HAD TO PLAY BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
For those of you who watched the game, this is the place to discuss it. Was the first match in Armenia just a fluke draw for Dinamo or do they have a real problem at hand?
MANDŽUKIĆ, BADELJ & LOVREN PUT DINAMO IN THE NEXT ROUND
In other Croatian soccer news on the day, Ivica Olić scored a hat trick in Bayern Munich's 10-0 annihilation victory over the Stuttgarter Kickers in a friendly. Check out the goals.
Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitić had to be helped off the field Sunday in Schalke's third place game against Ivica Olić and new team Bayern Munich in the 2009 T-Home Cup. Hamburg and Stuttgart also participated in the German pre-season tournament.
Rakitić hurt his right ankle five minutes into the match and could only hop off the field with the assistance of trainers. Preliminary reports are saying that no ankle ligaments were torn but only severely bruised. Although it's still early to tell, Rakitić should miss 4-6 weeks. This would mean no Belarus match for him on August 12th. We'll keep a close eye on Ivan's condition.
Ivica Olić made his Bayern Munich debut in the same match that Rakitić got hurt. Check out Olić's first efforts for the Bavarian side which led to an own goal. Bayern won the game 2-1 to claim third place in the pre-season tournament. Danijel Pranjić also made his Bayern debut as he was subbed in the game in the 31'.
Mladen Petrić scored a beautiful free kick to help Hamburg secure a 3-0 win over Stuttgart to claim the 2009 T-Home Cup championship. It's a nice way for Petrić to start off the season. Hopefully he doesn't miss Olić too much.
In completely off topic soccer talk, check out this 'super bicycle kick' goal scored by Vissel Kobe's Tsuneyasu Miyamoto in Japan. I've never seen a player get so much air like that before. Simply amazing!
Now that construction has resumed on numerous South African stadiums after a short one week labor strike, the 2010 World Cup should go on as originally planned. With the debut of the world's largest sporting event on African soil also comes the inception of some of Africa's cultures and traditions- in this case the Vuvuzela.
Some football commentators, players and international audiences argued against the vuvuzela during the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. During the match between United States and Italy, BBC 3 commentator Lee Dixon referred to the sounds as "quite irritating". FIFA received complaints from multiple European broadcasters who want it banned for the 2010 FIFA World Cup because the sound is drowning out the commentators. Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk and Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso also called for a ban, the latter saying the horns make it hard for players to communicate and concentrate while adding nothing to the atmosphere. -Wikipedia excerpt
The vuvuzela is a cornerstone of African culture. To ban the instrument from the World Cup is to commit a crime against the people of South Africa. FIFA president Sepp Blatter did not want to ban the horns originally but is now being forced by other high European officials to reconsider.
If it was up to me I would only allow South African supporters to blow the horns at South African matches as they know how to properly utilize the instrument. If you watch any 2009 Confederations Cup matches you know how annoying these horns can be when thousands of fans who don't know how to use them are blowing them.
However, FIFA cannot ban these horns while the World Cup is in South Africa to their own fans. It would be like banning flares from Croatian fans. Criminal, I know.
The third qualifying rounds for Champions League and Europa League have now been set. Let's start with the Champions League.
Should Dinamo Zagreb squeak by a pesky Pyunik side on July 21st, they would then face Austrian champs Red Bull Salzburg or Irish champions Bohemians. The first leg ended 1-1 in Austria.
With Austria so close to Croatia, we know that hundreds of Dinamo supporters and BBB would travel to the game. Will it be the same scene it was a few weeks ago if Dinamo face off against RB Salzburg? The first leg would be played on either July 28th/29th away for Dinamo.
Shakhtar Donetsk face off against Romanians Timişoara while Ante Rukavina, Mario Galinović and Panathinaikos try to duplicate last year's run as they open up play against Sparta Prague.
Most importantly, will we see Darijo Srna wear the Shakhtar orange one more time in this campaign?
Hajduk Split finally get their European campaign underway as they will most likely take on Slovak side MŠK Žilina on July 30th and August 6th. Žilina won the first leg against Dacia Chişinău 2-0.
The first leg will be away for the 'Bili'. Hajduk was defeated by Spanish side Deportivo La Coruña in the second qualifying round last year. Hajduk held Deportivo to a scoreless draw in Spain before being defeated 2-0 at the Poljud.
Slaven Belupo really seem to be liking this Europa Cup stuff. After ripping Macedonian side Milano apart in the first leg, Slaven will only have to show up in the return leg to progress to the third qualifying round in which they will either play Dinamo Minsk from Belarus or Norwegians Tromsø. The first leg ended 0-0.
Last year, Slaven Belupo held their own against CSKA Moscow before being bounced in the third round. Do they have more in them this year?
NK Rijeka have a small hill to climb against Differdange at home next week if they expect to play in the next round. Should Rijeka overcome the 1-0 first leg loss, they would then play Ukranians Metalist Kharkiv in the third qualifying round. Rijeka have a tough road in front of them.
The first leg of the 2009-10 Europa League second qualifying round got underway today. Croatian clubs, NK Rijeka and Slaven Belupo both started their European seasons on the road.
Slaven Belupo torched Macedonian side Milano (no relation with AC Milan) as they pulled some 'tricks' out of the bag in a 4-0 win. Hungarian Csaba Csizmadia opened up the scoring in the 26' only moments before Aljoša Vojnović completely took over the game.
Vojnović scored a 'natural hat trick' (three goals in the same half) within five minutes to end the first half. This 4-0 away result will certainly see Slaven Belupo join Hajduk in the next round.
A DEJECTED ANAS SHARBINI TRIES TO STAY POSITIVE FOR THE SECOND LEG
NK Rijeka could not get anything going as they travelled to Luxembourg to take on Differdange. Rijeka lost the game 1-0 and will have to score some goals next week at Kantrida in order to move on. Anas Sharbini played the entire match today.
I originally thought this would be an easy test for Rijeka. Are they having the same problem Dinamo Zagreb had earlier in the week? I mean, how good can a team from Luxembourg possibly be?
Videos and highlights will be put up on this post later today as they hit the web.
In other news, Hajduk Split will host English side Blackburn Rovers in a friendly at the Poljud July 18th.
DINAMO HELD TO GOALLESS DRAW IN FIRST LEG AGAINST PYUNIK. I DID NOT WATCH THE GAME BUT CSR'S ELITE CLAIM THAT DINAMO PLAYED AWFUL WITH A SHAMEFUL DISPLAY OF SOCCER.
Dinamo Zagreb start their UEFA Champions League campaign tomorrow (July 14th) as they travel to Armenia to take on Pyunik in the second qualifying round. It shouldn't be too tough for Dinamo to get past the Armenian champions as the 'Modri' would then have a guaranteed 'seeded' spot for the third qualifying round.
Dinamo Zagreb was ousted out of Champions League last year in the third qualifying round by eventual UEFA Cup champions Shakhtar Donetsk. Dinamo were then put into the UEFA Cup tournament where they had a dramatic 3-3 away draw with Sparta Prague; clinching the next round with the 'away goals rule'. The boys from Zagreb finally ran out of gas in Group Play when they could only earn three points against Udinese, Tottenham, NEC and Spartak Moscow.
Will Dinamo do better this season?
HERE'S A LOOK AT DINAMO'S NEW GEAR FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON
The inaugural Europa League tournament, formerly UEFA Cup, also continues this week as the second qualifying round gets started. Slaven Belupo will take on Macedonian side Milano away on July 16th with the return leg in Koprovnica exactly one week later. Slaven Belupo got here by barely squeaking by Maltese side Birkirkara 1-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. Remember that Hajduk crushed Birkirkara 7-0 last year over two legs. Did Denis share confidential Croatian soccer information to the Birkirkara Ultras while he was in Malta last summer? Hmmm...
NK Rijeka also join in on the Europa League fun as they travel to Luxembourg to take on Differdange on July 16th. Anas Sharbini should put a few goals away for Rijeka in what should be an easy test.
Hajduk will have to wait to open up their Europa League campaign as they have bypassed the first two qualifying rounds. They will be an unseeded team in the third round where they have the possibility of playing AS Roma, PSV Eindhoven, Hamburg, Fenerbahçe or Fulham. The draw for the third round will take place on July 17th but games won't be played until the 30th.
It should be another fun season watching these small Croatian clubs do some damage around Europe!
