It’s not unusual for controversial pre-match statements to appear before the Hajduk – Dinamo clash, but this time, they’ve gone too far
When Hajduk and Dinamo play, it is everything but an ordinary game, it is The Eternal derby, and more so, it is a Cup semi-final match between two fierce rivals so expect football to be just a small part of the story for the March 16. 2016 match to be played in Split.
It is seen by Hajduk fans as a clash between the people’s club, a rebel one from the south, and Dinamo, a private project from the north, supported both by the politicians and CFF officials alike. For the other side, it is a clash between the once great club, that being Hajduk, now being ruled by the mob, and a successful Dinamo, ruled by a smart manager, who knows how things are done in football.
First of all, a word about the game itself; Dinamo looks like an easy favourite, as Hajduk is struggling with form, and Dinamo is on a winning streak, still to lose a point in 2016. More so, Hajduk has not won against Dinamo for a long time now, and even when it looked like they could get close, in more than few games Dinamo got a winner or an equalizer in dying minutes of the match.
Hajduk will have a strong voice on the bleachers, perhaps giving the team some extra energy, but in the past, it has proven to be somewhat of a burden for the young and inexperienced team. Dinamo has the advantage of the return match which will be played on their home turf, so even if they lose the first game, they can always count on a chance to set things straight at home.
Back to some inappropriate statements made by the officials of both clubs, as Dinamo’s coach, Zoran Mamić has mocked Hajduk’s demand for foreign referees in this game and stated that he hopes that Hajduk’s president, Marin Brbić is ready to direct the game. The answer was harsh, as Mr. Brbić replied that he has no interest in refereeing, but considers Zoran Mamić and his brother Zdravko to be responsible for all the bad things in Croatian football and that they are actually directing all the games.
And there is the last Mohican, Mr. Damir Burić, Hajduk’s coach, an odd character in this whole story, as he talked solely about football in the pre-match interviews. If we could give our own opinion, he is to be praised for that, while it would be recommended for Mr. Brbić to try to get some help for his coach, in terms of strengthening his team, and as for Mr. Mamić, maybe it would be more appropriate not to mock anybody whilst being investigated for corruption and money laundering.
Kick off is at 17.30 CET, and one can only hope football will be the only subject after the game. It is hard to expect, as tensions are sky-high, but if Mr. Burić is to be heard, maybe we’re in for a surprise.
In the other semifinal match, played yesterday, Rijeka defeated Slaven Belupo 2-1.
