Croatian U21 football team has won against Estonia 2-1 today, but once again, young Croatian football players could end up empty handed as officials forgot to register a player. Again.
Croatia beat Estonia 2-1 in a qualification match for the European championship in Zaprešić on March 28, 2016, but it seems that the game could be registered 3-0 for the away team, as one Croatian player entered the game in the second half without being officially listed for the match.
Ivan Fiolić will hit the headlines today, and he did not score or do anything wrong, he only entered the pitch when ordered by coach Nenad Gračan. And that was crucial for today’s game, as somebody forgot to list him for the game, and his name was not in the UEFA records for this match. It seems like Croatia could lose well-deserved points, which will be a massive blow to the team’s effort to qualify for the U21 EURO.
Memories of Dinamo’s junior team being disqualified from the UEFA Youth Champions League are still fresh, and while the Croatian Football Federation and Dinamo officials try to persuade the public that both organizations are managed on a high level, this is simply too much. We are consistent in presenting the lack of professionalism in Croatian Football Federation, as there is no transparency in nominating people to their functions within the organization, and now it is apparent that young athletes are being punished for somebody else’s mistakes, and no one will be held accountable.
Needless to say, CFF officials are keeping quiet on this subject, They are now famous for their “no comment” attitude. It is time for crucial changes in the way CFF is managed, as, after this error, things have simply gone too far, because there are now many people even enjoying this mistake. And while we do not have any sympathy for the officials, our heart goes to the young athletes that train every day and suffer because there is an apparent lack of knowledge and care from people managing the Federation.
The U19 team has beaten Belgium 4-0 and secured qualification for the U19 European Championship in Germany in July 2016. There is no report of clerical mistakes there. Yet.
