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www.liberoguide.com CROATIA 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com Croatia emerged from conflict and post-Communist industrial decline to become Europe’s most sought-after Med getaway. INTRO This transformational marketing triumph has dovetailed with the national team taking the world stage in the red-and-white chequerboard of the Croatian coat of arms, the šahovnica. This has created a brand of universal Welcome to recognition, the replica tops standard liberoguide.com! holiday issue along Croatia’s extensive The digital travel guide for coastline. When Croatian president football fans, liberoguide.com Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović braved the is the most up-to-date resource, torrential rain after her compatriots city-by-city, club-by-club, to the had gallantly pushed France to the wire game across Europe and North in the 2018 World Cup Final, she was America. Using only original soaked to the skin in the chequerboard photos and first-hand research, shirt, surrounded by men in suits. As taken and undertaken over seven a symbol of Croatian spirit before a seasons, liberoguide.com has global audience of 1.1 billion, it was been put together to enhance brilliant. every football weekend and Euro night experience. From airport By stark comparison, the domestic to arena, downtown sports bar game in Croatia is meek and seen by to hotel, liberoguide.com helps few. Dominated by Dinamo Zagreb, you get the best out of your visit winners of 20 of the 28 league to football’s furthest corners and campaigns since the war-torn ones showcase stadiums. Kantrida, Rijeka of the early 1990s, the Croatian top- flightPrva HNL has juggled with sizes and formulas but gates rarely break a on thin margins despite winning every CROATIA 2019-20 seasonal average of 3,000. title but two since 1992. CONTENTS 1-3 INTRO 11 Koprivnica 17 Rijeka Zagreb has no real cross-city rivalries, Each plays at a stadium – the 4-6 Zagreb 12 Slaven Belupo 18 HNK Rijeka only local clubs in Dinamo’s shadow, Maksimir, the Poljud – whose 7 Maksimir Stadium 13 Osijek 19-20 Split while the Vječni (‘Eternal’) Derbi with national status belies its limitations 8 Dinamo Zagreb 14 NK Osijek 21 Hajduk Split Hajduk Split is itself a shadow of and condition. By contrast, Rijeka, the 9 Gorica 15 Pula 22 Varaždin long-forgotten title clashes. With a fan port city where 25 years of Zagreb- 10 Lokomotiva/Stadion 16 Istra 1961 23 NK Varaždin boycott at corruption-ravaged Dinamo Split league duopoly was shattered in Kranjčevićeva 24 Zaprešić and financial disarray, even near 2017, awaits the completion of its new 25 Inter Zaprešić collapse, at Hajduk, each club operates stadium by the sea. liberoguide.com 1 CROATIA 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com day-to-day transactions, euros in notes are accepted in some hotels and INTRO VARAŽDIN restaurants. KOPRIVNICA National HŽPP trains (hzpp.hr/en) are ZAPREŠIĆ ZAGREB only really useful for short journeys from Zagreb. Zaprešić takes 25mins and costs 12kn/€1.60, Koprivnica 1hr 30mins (60kn/€8). Split takes 6-8hrs OSIJEK and costs 200kn/€26. RIJEKA Croatian motorways (autoceste) cover most of the country. Tolls (hac.hr/en) are charged at gates, payment in kunas or euros, or by credit card. Nearly the PULA Station to stadium whole route from Zagreb to Split (4hrs) National carrier Croatia Airlines is by motorway, toll charge around (croatiaairlines.com) serves Zagreb, 180kn/€24. Split, Osijek, Rijeka and Pula, major coastal destinations and European Tables & trophies hubs. Domestic flights can be cheap Croatia’s top division, the Prva HNL (or and, given the long distances involved, 1. HNL), currently consists of ten clubs, advantageous. British Airways and who play each other home and away budget carriers easyJet, Ryanair and twice. The winners and runners-up Wizzair also offer Croatian routes. enter the Champions League Second Qualifying Round. The winners of the SPLIT From major airports, bus services Croatian Cup gain a berth in the Third (around 30kn/€4) into town are reliable. Qualifying Round of the Europa League, Around town, Zagreb and Osijek have the third- and fourth-placed finishers tram networks, local buses serve the Second Qualifying Round. If the cup the cities of Split and Pula. Several winners end up top four in the league private companies provide Croatia’s – a likely circumstance – then the side inter-city bus network (buscroatia. finishing fifth take the extra EL spot. com), the main form of public transport Further down the Adriatic, clubs from Dinamo, Hajduk, Rijeka and Osijek clubs have been trapped in a weak nationwide. Zagreb-Split costs around The bottom club drops down to the the holiday hubs of Dubrovnik and have fiery followings whose roots lie domestic set-up – with little hope of 150kn/€20 and takes 5-6hrs. Luggage 16-team second tier, Druga HNL (or 2. Zadar rarely remain in the top flight in the ultras phenomenon of 1990s’ expansion or improvement unless a storage costs a few kunas – pay the HNL), whose champions go straight – in footballing terms, Osijek is the lore in nearby Italy. Back then, Croatia regional structure is re-created, as driver as he’s loading up. The local up. The ninth-placed side in the Prva fourth biggest force. The top four of was at war. Since then, its fans and long seen in basketball. currency (8kn = €1) is used for all and runners-up of Druga play off liberoguide.com 2 CROATIA 2019-20 www.liberoguide.com over two legs. Reserve sides cannot be county cups across Croatia. Counties promoted. After a straight home-and- with the highest number of active clubs INTRO away season, the bottom three clubs of may enter the runners-up. Bizarrely, the second flight relegate to the Treća therefore, several teams currently in HNL (or 3. HNL). Croatia’s second flight, perhaps even the top flight, are not involved in the This third tier currently has five regional cup. The only real way for them to divisions, Centre, East, North, South compete at a later date is to win their and West of either 12 or 16 teams county cup and progress in the national each. Much as Croatia’s top league one. On the other hand, modest GOŠK changed size 12 times in 25 years, so Dubrovnik’s cup run of 2012-13 allowed this structure is a moveable feast – in them to join the big boys even up to 2018-19, there were three divisions at 2018-19. this third level, East, South and West. At present, the divisional winner with The 32 teams qualified through the best record goes up to the Druga the counties play each other in the HNL, the other four play off in two, Preliminary Round, decided over one two-legged deciders, to produce three game. These 16 winners join the 16 promotees. highest in the co-efficiency table, the Dinamos and Hajduks ceding home Below this, the fourth tier Četvrta NL advantage in the draw. Ties up to comprises inter-county leagues, based and including the semi-final are also in Rijeka, Zagreb, Čakovec-Varaždin, decided over 90 minutes, over extra- Bjelovar-Koprivnica-Vitrovitica, Osijek- time and on penalties if needed. The Vinkovci and Brod-Požega, all in the final is played at a neutral ground in The Druga HNL starts later, in mid- on match days. Availability is almost sidelines. Prices rise for major north. Amateur clubs in Istria and May, recent venues including Pula, August, runs until early December, never an issue, although the bigger European games and the Dinamo- around the main hubs of Dalmatia, Vinkovci (!) and Varaždin. picks up again in late February and clubs also distribute through their Hajduk derby. Credit cards are often Dubrovnik, Split, Šibenik and Zadar, goes on until late May. The eight shops in the run-up to the weekend. accepted at bigger clubs and English share the fifth tier with other areas in Season’s dealings games are staggered each round, two Each of the four stands, tribina, is is usually spoken. the north. These local leagues extend The Croatian season starts in mid-July, on Friday, three each on Saturday and designated north (sjever), south (jug), down to level seven. runs until mid-December, then picks Sunday, around 5.30pm, sometimes east (istok) and west (zapad). On your Particularly in warmer months, grills up in late January/early February until 7pm, in the warmer months, and ticket for bigger international matches, are set up around stadium forecourts The Croatian Cup, Hrvatski Nogometni late May. The five top-flight games are as early as 1pm-1.30pm in winter. ulaz is the gate, sektor the sector, red – Split being a prime example – and Kup, is unusual in that the main clubs usually staggered over the weekend, Occasional midweek rounds are on the row and sjedalo your seat. Cijena is Balkan delights such as čevapčići, qualify by a co-efficient worked out over one on Friday (6pm-8pm), and two Wednesdays, 4-6pm or early afternoon. the price. rissoles of lamb and beef, sizzled and five years in the competition, rather each on Saturday and Sunday, two stuffed into lepinje flatbread. Beer than outright divisional status. The best hours apart. In the warmer months, Entry level You’ll pay around 30-40kn/€4-€5.30 (pivo) is invariably domestic Ožujsko 16 compete, along with the 32 winners these are 6pm-9pm, in the darker Admission is sold at the blagajna, a behind the goal, 50-80kn/€6.60- or Karlovačko, Favorit a favourite in and certain finalists in the various ones, 3pm-5.30pm. kiosk or ticket windows at the stadium, €10.50 for the best seats on the Istria.

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