The city of Pula planned to raise the monument to honour the best Croatian sportsman of the twentieth century, but the Parlov family has objections to the proposed location of the monument
The city of Pula has decided to raise the monument dedicated to Mate Parlov, a late boxer who was voted the best Croatian sportsman of the twentieth century. On April 9, 2016, we bring you the story about controversies regarding this decision.
The idea for the monument has come from Croatian Boxing Federation, not the City of Pula, as city authorities just welcomed the idea, and after prolonged discussions in the city council, it was decided for the monument to be raised in the park near the Arena. The Parlov family, who has the rights to the estate and name of the late boxing legend is not happy with the location.
Our sources from Pula informed us that it is a beautiful park, but not exactly a very popular area for citizens, so it seems that Parlov family has a point when objecting to this location. The worst thing for the city of Pula is the fact that Parlov family is considering moving the project to Zagreb, which would be a shame as Mate Parlov was the symbol of Pula and one of the most famous celebrities there. With all respects to Zagreb, Mate Parlov had very few things that connected him to the Croatian capital.
There is an informal initiative in Split, birthplace of Mate Parlov to raise the monument there, so this unfortunate story could get even more twists in the future. One can hope that city of Pula and Parlov family will reach the agreement as the late legend does not deserve any sort of controversy connected to his name.
