The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) held its annual general assembly at the Novotel hotel in Zagreb. The meeting, which was required by law, focused on the federation’s recent activities and future plans. During the assembly a short documentary was shown, highlighting the achievements of the Croatian men’s, women’s and futsal national teams. The film concluded with a tribute to Luka Modrić, who had recently played his 200th match for the senior national team. “I always emphasize that we must believe in our unity, our players, our profession,” Modrić said. “The World Cup showed that Croatia still belongs among the world’s elite, and we can all be proud of that.” He also thanked Zlatko Dalić for his contributions over the past nine years. HNS president Marijan Kustić praised Dalić’s work and confirmed that Slaven Bilić had been chosen as the new head coach. “The match in Split showed how much the players support Slaven, and we fully back him,” Kustić said. “He has shown courage and ambition, and we support that.” He added that the federation’s next goal is qualification for Euro 2028 and that particular attention will be paid to the development of younger age groups. “All our junior teams have qualified for major tournaments this cycle, and only Spain has matched us,” Kustić noted. He thanked the coaches of the youth teams – Olivera, Oreščanin, Budimir, Stipe Pletikosić and Petar Krpan – and their staff for their work. Kustić also discussed the progress of the HNS camp in Velika Gorica. “I am impressed by the progress of the camp and the work being done,” he said. “There was initial skepticism, but I am proud of all the partners, the Executive Board and the assembly members who support this project.” He added that the camp is expected to open in June and that the next assembly will be held there. He thanked the Croatian government, UEFI and FIFA for their support and expressed optimism about new investments in Maksimir and Split. “Significant progress has been made on the Kranjčevićeva project, and we thank everyone who contributes to the development of our infrastructure,” Kustić concluded.
Article source: Večernji List | Image credit: Večernji List