Croatian athletes in the grip of the radical right

By Haris Ljevo

Nationalism and the rise of the radical right is one of the main problems facing the EU today, with Eastern European countries and the Balkans being a particular problem. 

According to EU reports, the highest level of nationalism is recorded in Poland and Croatia. The US State Department also warned about the problem of nationalism and hatred towards minorities in Croatia in its annual report on human rights and freedoms.

The nationalist right uses public figures, especially athletes, musicians, actors, and other influential personalities, to achieve its political goals.

Five days before the start of the FIFA World Cup, the Croatian government caused quite a stir by using Croatian players for political purposes.

Namely, at the Croatian Football Federation awards ceremony for the best players and coaches in Croatia, national team coach Zlatko Dalić received a gift from the Government.

On behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Damir Krstičević, the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, General Mirko Šundov, presented Zlatko Dalić with a large Croatian flag, similar to the one that flew from the Knin Fortress after the Croatian Army entered Knin following Operation Storm.

- The Croatian flag on the Knin Fortress is a symbol of the struggle for Croatian freedom, hard-won and paid for in blood. Operation Storm is the culmination of all our victories, and the arrival of the victorious Croatian Army in the royal city of Knin is a sign of victory in the Homeland War. May the Croatian flag, under which brave Croatian defenders fought and died for their Croatia, be an incentive for you to fight bravely in the upcoming World Cup. The Croatian Army is with you in thoughts and hearts. Faithful to the homeland - said Minister Krstičević.

Dalić thanked him, saying: "We will do everything to make the Croatian people proud of us. We are ready and capable of great things."

A total of 32 national teams will participate in the World Cup in Russia, including numerous major countries with rich traditions and history, but none of them, except Croatia, were sent off to the championship as if they were going to war. Other national teams are going to Russia with the aim of competing on the sports field and achieving the best possible results.

Serbian media covered the news with headlines such as "Croats travel to Russia on the wings of Operation Storm", "The Checkered Ones celebrated the expulsion of Serbs in Vukovar", "Scandal in Croatia", "Shame", "Croats are raising tensions again with provocation", and similar. 

This is not the first time that Croatian athletes have found themselves at the center of a scandal due to political influence, which is strictly forbidden by the laws of the International Olympic Committee and FIFA (the world football governing body), and many countries have been suspended in the past due to the interference of politics in sports.

One of the most famous cases of political interference in sports in this region is the case of the best Croatian basketball player Toni Kukoč in the nineties. 

The HDZ then placed Kukoč on the election list without his knowledge, believing that his presence on the list would bring the party a large number of votes, but Kukoč protested when he saw his name in the newspapers. 

- Damn whoever put me on the list! - Kukoč said at the time.

This was followed by a reaction from the President of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman, who allegedly personally banned the broadcast of NBA team Chicago Bulls basketball games, for which Kukoč played at the time, on Croatian television. Chicago was the best club in the world during those years, and Kukoč was one of its best players, but viewers in Croatia could not watch his games because he strongly opposed being placed on the HDZ list. 

When the Croatian government, led by Ivica Račan, decided in 2001 to extradite two Croatian generals to the Hague Tribunal, a letter from 11 top Croatian athletes appeared in the newspapers expressing their indignation at the Government's decision. Among the signatories was the then world's top tennis player Goran Ivanišević. 

A day later, Goran's father Srđan reacted, opposing it and saying that Goran had been misused. 

 - Damn them for what they did to him. Some fools did this for their own daily politics, they presented him with a fait accompli. He doesn't follow it, he doesn't understand it, and now these political hyenas who tricked him have come - said Srđan Ivanišević. 

Therefore, the HDZ has a truly rich tradition of using top athletes for its political goals.