Croatian Cup Semifinals Postponed for Over a Month Between Dinamo and Rijeka?

HNS gives the green light to postpone the semifinals of the Croatian Cup between Dinamo and Rijeka.

Next Wednesday, Dinamo was expected to welcome Rijeka in the semifinals of the Croatian Cup, just three days after the first meeting of Dinamo and Rijeka at Rujevica in the Croatian First League. However, both clubs requested to delay the cup match due to weather disadvantages and received the green light from HNS. The semifinals between these two clubs will now be played in over a month, and specifically on April 4th, 2018, reports Gol.hr on February 21, 2018. 

“I did not make this decision, but a Trilateral Commission for the Croatian Football Cup, of which I am a member, and is headed by Davor Ivić. The clubs came up with a proposal, and there was no reason not to accept their request because the final is still far away and is played on May 23rd – there is enough time in the term,” said Josip Brezni, a member of the said commission for GOL.hr.

What was the main reason they have chosen to accept their claim?

“The cold, that’s the main reason. Not so much the snow, because the snow can be cleaned, but the cold that would have had an impact on the field itself, and also on the spectator’s visit. You saw on Sunday that there were only 10,000 spectators during Dinamo and Hajduk’s derby because of the cold. To ensure the better conditions we have accepted their request to change the terms.”

But could the new term be Wednesday, March 14th? This is the day after the semifinal match is played between Lokomotiva and Hajduk, who also postponed their semifinal match due to the catastrophic conditions at Kranjčevićeva. 

“Theoretically, but in this case, the start of the match must be at 15:00 because according to UEFA regulations, all matches played on the day of UEFA competitions must be completed at least half an hour before the start of the Champions League or European League. And on March 14, Besiktas hosts Bayern starting at 18:00, so Dinamo and Rijeka having to play at 15:00 would not fit.”

And both clubs have agreed to change the term?

“True, there was no agreement between Dinamo and Rijeka until today, but it has now been achieved. It’s all about how clubs negotiate, depending on how they respond while keeping in mind all the other primary responsibilities.”

Though the semifinals of the Cup have already been postponed, this weekend’s weather conditions could indeed pose a problem in the Croatian First League, too.

“Yes, we are all waiting for what will happen. The game between Inter Zaprešić – Istra 1961 I have already moved from Monday to Friday when we hope for better conditions in Zaprešić, and we will see what will happen for Lokomotiva – Osijek at Kranjčevićeva. We told Osijek to wait until the last hour and do not begin their journey on Friday night until we tell them if they can play,” concluded Brezni.

The question remains whether the semifinals of the Cup should be set for February when we know that the pitches of Croatian stadiums are in poor condition – it is also a month where severe cold should not be a surprise.

On April 4th, Rijeka will arrive at Maksimir for the Cup semi-final only a few days after a tough show at Poljud on March 31st. 

Translatedd from Gol.hr

 

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