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Croatia national football team

The Croatian national football team (Croatian pronunciation: Hrvatska nogometna reprezentacija) is the national side representing Croatia in international football and is governed by the Croatian Football Federation. The contemporary team has existed officially since 1990 and was recognised by FIFA and UEFA in 1992, one year after Croatia gained independence from Yugoslavia. Previously sanctioned national teams represented the short-lived Banovina of Croatia and Independent State of Croatia in 19 friendly matches from 1940 to 1944. Although authorized as an affiliate of FIFA in the earlier era, Croatia remained a constituent nation of Yugoslavia and was therefore unable to host a separate national team at competitive level.

The modern team played the nation's first competitive matches during a successful qualifying campaign for Euro 96, leading to their first appearance at a major international tournament. They went on to finish third at the 1998 World Cup, led by Golden Boot winner Davor Šuker. Croatia has since qualified for every World Cup that it has entered as an independent nation, having missed only one major tournament—Euro 2000—since they became eligible to participate.

The team has achieved several noteworthy results, including victories over Germany, Holland, Italy and England. During their 98 World Cup foray, they defeated the Germans 3–0 and concluded the tournament with a 2–1 victory over Holland in the bronze medal playoff. Croatia has overcome four-time world champions Italy twice: an away win during qualifications for Euro 96 and again at the 2002 World Cup, with a 2–1 scoreline on both occasions. Recent results include twofold victories against England: 2–0 at home in the Maksimir Stadium and 3–2 at Wembley Stadium, England's first competitive defeat at the new venue. At Euro 2008, they defeated eventual finalists Germany 2–1.

Croatia is the only team to win FIFA's "Best Mover of the Year" more than once, receiving the award in 1994 and 1998. Their FIFA World Ranking has been the most volatile of all nations, ranging from third to 125th (the latter shortly after the team began playing independently). Since 1994, they remained undefeated in competitive matches on home soil. The team eventually lost to England on September 10, 2008, ending a 36 match streak at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Croatia's primary supporters, often associated with hooliganism, have been responsible for considerable charges and infamy against the national federation by the governing bodies of football. They obtain further media involvement through the prime broadcasting service of HRT, the principal newscast of Croatia which airs all national team fixtures live.

History

Pre-independence

At the end of the 19th century football was introduced in Croatia by expatriate Englishmen in the cities of Rijeka and Županja, leading to the Croatian recognition of the rulebook in 1896. By 1908, a modern edition of the sport's laws was published as Croats began to play football regularly in organised clubs. An international representative side was initially formed a year earlier, as FIFA record a Croatian team playing a full-length fixture against domestic opposition in 1906/07. Before independence, Croatian footballers competed in the authorized national teams of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919–39) and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1945–90). However, at various times throughout these rulings, Croatian sides were temporarily organised and competed separately in unofficial contests, primarily due to the instability of national boundaries involving the war. A hastily arranged national side, managed by Hugo Kinert, played a small number of private domestic matches from 1918 to 1919 during World War I.

In 1940, Jozo Jakopić led a non-FIFA recognised team which represented the Banovina of Croatia in four friendly matches: two against Switzerland and two against Hungary. Croatia defeated the Swiss 4–0 in Zagreb on April 2, 1940, marking their debut match as a distinctly recognised side. Following further movement by the Axis power, a Croatian football federation became temporarily active and joined FIFA on July 17, 1941 as the Independent State of Croatia. The directed national side played 15 friendly matches until 1944—all but one as an officially sanctioned national team—under the direction of Rudolf Hitrec. They recorded their first result as a FIFA member on September 8 in Bratislava, drawing 1–1 with Slovakia. Nonetheless, they were prohibited from participating in competitive matches as FIFA still considered the Yugoslavian federation as the football representative of the country.

From 1950, another unofficial Croatian side was active for a brief period, recording two friendly victories over Indonesia and a Yugoslav team playing as "Serbia". This was the last Croatian national team which played during this period as such activities were eventually ceased. When Yugoslavia participated at the 1956 Summer Olympics, their squad included numerous Croatian footballers. Subsequent Yugoslavian teams that played in several World Cup and European Championship tournaments up to 1990 also consisted of Croatian players who collectively achieved small success at competitive level.

Official formation

The last Yugoslav team to field a considerable Croatian contingent played against Sweden on May 16, 1991, only a few days before Croatia's independence referendum. Another Croatian team was formed during this time, and went on to play their first modern international fixture against the United States on October 17, 1990 at Maksimir Stadium. Aljoša Asanović was the first goalscorer for the newly established side, as Croatia won the match 2–1. This was one of only three games played under original manager Dražan Jerković; Croatia would subsequently record another two friendly victories under his guidance before Stanko Poklepović and Vlatko Marković had brief spells in charge. Although Croatia was still regarded as a part of Yugoslavia, this team remained an unofficially sanctioned national side until Croatia were declared independent on October 8, 1991, at which point the team became the official representative of the Croatian republic. The Croatian football federation rejoined the governing bodies of football and went on to organise the first competitive matches for the new national team. Since Croatia were not ranked on their performances prior to independence, they entered the FIFA World Rankings in 125th place.

In the summer of 1992, FIFA and UEFA both officially recognised Croatia's football federation, which allowed the country to take part in competitive matches. Miroslav Blažević was appointed manager and led the Croatians into their qualifying campaign for Euro 96 against Estonia on September 4, 1994. Croatia won the game 2–0 at the A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, marking their first competitive victory as a distinct side. They ultimately finished on top of their qualifying group and earned the FIFA Best Mover of the Year award for their rapid rise in the international rankings. They suffered their first defeat in competitive matches during the same qualifying campaign on June 11, 1995, losing 1–0 in their away fixture to Ukraine.

'Golden Generation'

Goran Vlaović scored the team's first goal at a major tournament when he netted a late winner against Turkey at the City Ground during Euro 96. The Croats followed their opening victory with a 3–0 win over reigning champions Denmark with Davor Šuker scoring one of the most skillful goals of the tournament; after receiving a long pass, he lobbed the ball into the goal from the 12-yard mark. Croatia were beaten 3–0 by Portugal in their final group fixture, but still advanced out of the group stage to then be knocked out by eventual champions Germany in the quarter finals.

Croatia's 3-5-2 lineup during the 1998 World Cup. Initial striker Alen Bokšić was withdrawn due to injury.

Miroslav Blažević remained in charge as Croatia set their venture on the 1998 World Cup. They successfully earned a berth at the tournament by defeating Ukraine in a qualifying playoff. Their first opponents were similar first-timers Jamaica. Mario Stanić scored their first World Cup goal, contributing to the 3–1 victory along with Robert Prosinečki and Davor Šuker at the Stade Félix Bollaert in Lens. Croatia narrowly beat Japan in their next fixture to secure a berth in the next round, despite losing to Argentina in their final group match. Davor Šuker scored his third goal of the tournament as they fended off a challenge from Romania to reach the quarter finals, where they would face former adversaries Germany once again. Although they were initially considered underdogs, Croatia enjoyed a 3–0 victory with goals from Robert Jarni, Goran Vlaović and Davor Šuker respectively after Christian Wörns was sent off.

Croatia went on to face the host nation France in the anticipated semi-final encounter. After a goalless first-half, which admittedly frustrated French coach Aimé Jacquet, Croatia took the lead through Davor Šuker once again. However, opposing defender Lilian Thuram secured the host nation a victory with his first and only international goals in his career as France prevailed 2–1. The Croatian side won third place by defeating the Netherlands with Davor Šuker capturing the Golden Boot award as the most prolific scorer of the tournament. This was amongst the best performances for a debut nation in the World Cup, eventually vaulting Croatia to third place in the FIFA World Rankings in January 1999, their highest ranking to date.

The successful squad of these early years was later dubbed the "Golden Generation". FIFA once again awarded Croatia with the Best Mover of the Year award in 1998. However, despite impressive runs in their first two major competitions, Croatia failed to qualify for Euro 2000, finishing third in their qualifying group behind Yugoslavia and Ireland. During this campaign, play between Croatia and Yugoslavia took place against a background of tension. Both fixtures ended in draws, with political protests occurring during the goalless fixture in Belgrade. In the return match in Zagreb, Croatia needed a victory to qualify, but the game ended in a 2–2 draw amid controversy. This was one of the last games played by a team representing "Yugoslavia", as that side was soon renamed Serbia and Montenegro to reflect the creation of a new individual state.

Decline under Jozić and Barić (early 2000s)

Despite the retirement of their "Golden Generation", including coach Blažević, Croatia qualified for the 2002 World Cup with an undefeated record. Mirko Jozić led them into tournament where they produced a surprise 2–1 victory over Italy. Their subsequent loss of form, however, became overly difficult to cope as they lost to Ecuador and missed out on qualification to the knockout stages. Jozić momentarily stepped down as manager, leading to the appointment of Otto Barić; the first and only manager born outside the Balkans to coach the national team.

Despite the experience in the Austrian-born manager, Croatia continued to distress during the Euro 2004 qualifications. A lack of victories saw them narrowly place second in their group as they went on to defeat Slovenia in the playoffs. The final tournament saw them fail to advance from their group after losing to England in their final game. However, they managed to display an earlier 2–2 draw against reigning champions France. Barić followed the pattern of his predecessor and left the management position shortly afterward, stating his criticism as a direct cause.

Kranjčar and Bilić's revival

A new era for the team began shortly after the 2004 tournament exit. Retiree Zlatko Kranjčar took over as national team coach and commanded Croatia to a top place finish in their qualifying group for the 2006 World Cup, again without losing a single match. Niko Kovač was chosen as team captain during this qualification campaign, a role he kept into the final tournament. Kranjčar faced heavy criticism with the introduction of his son Niko, who was peceived as a biased inclusion by the media. After narrowly losing to Brazil in their opening game, Croatia failed to overcome Japan after an array of chances, including a penalty, went begging. With their advancement reliant on victory against Australia, Croatia took the lead with one of the earliest goals in their tournament history; a second-minute free kick from Dario Srna. However, the match finished 2–2 with three red cards being issued by referee Graham Poll. This prompted another exit from the group stage as Croatia marked an odd first in football history after Josip Šimunić became the only player to receive three yellow cards in a single match. Poll was widely criticized for his lack of control in the match and soon retired from international officiating, relating the incident as a prime cause.

After the exit, the HNS hired former defender Slaven Bilić as national team coach. With a a broad range of younger talent available, he immediately improved the team's results, commencing with a 2–0 victory over Italy in an away friendly. With an array of competitive matches scheduled for the Euro 2008 qualifications, Bilić temporarily suspended Dario Srna, Ivica Olić and Boško Balaban from the national squad after the trio were absent from his initial training sessions. However, the introduction of younger talent such as Eduardo da Silva, Luka Modrić, Vedran Ćorluka and Ivan Rakitić transformed Croatia into one of the youngest international squads. Performances ultimately improved under Bilić’s guidance as the team complied positively towards his new management style. This excelled the Croats in their qualifying campaign; they remained unbeaten in their first 11 matches which included an earlier home victory over England. With qualifications already assured, Croatia traveled to London for their return fixture against the English side, who needed to avoid defeat in order to qualify. However, Croatia prevailed with a 3–2 win at the Wembley Stadium, denying England their first major tournament since 1994. National coach Steve McClaren was immediately dismissed for the failing display, which was England's first competitive defeat at the new venue. Bilić led the national side as group winners, suffering only a single defeat against Macedonia in the process.

Prior to the tournament, Croatia's qualifying topscorer Eduardo da Silva sustained a major compound fracture while playing in the English Premiership. His injury caused heavy controversy within the national team. Association president Vlatko Marković argued that the incident was "beyond random", as he called for action against Martin Taylor. Leading Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List examined Taylor's training sessions and depicted him to show no sorrow over his actions. A global appeal believed the tackle to be an act of retribution from the English defender, as varied supporters sanctioned Taylor's rough conduct. Bilić was forced to significantly alter the squad for his final selection, including uncapped players Nikola Kalinić and Nikola Pokrivač.

Croatia entered the tournament with a weakened strike force, arousing concerns after their warm-up fixtures against Scotland and Moldova showed a lack of attacking quality. Despite such, they finished with maximum group points for the first time in their tournament history after beating co-hosts Austria, Germany and then Poland to ensure advancement to the quarter finals. Niko Kovač remained team captain at what was expected to be his final international tournament, except in the final group fixture when Dario Šimić was temporarily given the captain's armband. Croatia’s tournament run ended in dramatic events as Turkey advanced on penalties after a controversial refereeing error led to a last minute equaliser from Semih Şentürk, voiding an earlier goal from Ivan Klasnić. At the competition, Croatia conceded the fewest goals of any team (2), suffered the fewest losses (0) and scored the earliest goal (4th minute in their opening game against Austria), the latter becoming a new European Championship record.

Despite constant speculation of his departure, manager Slaven Bilić renewed his contract to remain in charge for the forthcoming tournament. This marked the first occasion since Miroslav Blažević's managerial tenure that Croatia would enter two consecutive tournaments with the same manager, as all previous coaches were replaced after the failures of the sides they directed. Croatia were again drawn with England in the qualification stages of the 2010 World Cup, with the rematch fixtures voted on FIFA.com as the most anticipated of the campaign. They went on to open with a home win over Kazakhstan before preparing for their rematch. However, the subsequent fixture against the English side, coached by Fabio Capello, saw them fall to their first ever home competitive defeat since 1994 after Theo Walcott netted a hat-trick and Robert Kovač was sent off.

Tournament records

World Cup record

Croatia have qualified for every World Cup since their debut of the tournament in 1998. Although they were granted entry into FIFA and UEFA in 1992, they were still unable to enter the 1994 tournament as qualifications had already commenced. Their first World Cup appearance is the nation's best to date, as they have failed to progress beyond the group stage in both of their following tournaments; placing third in their group on both occasions.

1930 to 1990 – Not applicable.
1994 – Could not enter.

Year	Round	Position	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA
1998	Third place	3	7	5	0	2	11	5
2002	Round 1	23	3	1	0	2	2	3
2006	Round 1	22	3	0	2	1	2	3
Total	3/3	-	13	6	2	5	15	11

European Championship record

Croatia's best result in UEFA Championship play also came in their debut, in 1996. Their failure to qualify for the tournament in 2000 still stands as the only major competition the national team has missed since eligibility. Croatia made a bid to co-host the tournament in 2012 alongside Hungary, but the event will instead be co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

1960 to 1992 – Could not enter.

Year	Round	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA
1996	Quarter finals	4	2	0	2	5	5
2000	Did not qualify	-	-	-	-	-	-
2004	Round 1	3	0	2	1	4	6
2008	Quarter finals	4	3	1	0	5	2
Total	3/4	11	5	3	3	14	13

Minor tournaments

Year	Round	Position	Matches	Wins	Draws	Losses	GF	GA
1996 King Hassan II Tournament	Winners	1	2	0	2	0	3	3
1997 Kirin Cup	Group stage	2	2	0	1	1	4	5
1999 Korea Cup	Winners	1	3	1	2	0	5	4
2006 Carlsberg Cup	Third place	3	2	1	0	1	4	2
Total	-	2 Titles	9	2	5	2	16	14

Statistics

Managers

At various times, distinct Croatian football federations and representative sides were formed separately from the official Yugoslavian organizations. Ivo Kraljević served as the manager of the initial federation, established in 1939, and organised non-sanctioned matches played by unofficial national squads up to 1956. These temporary sides, playing non-competitive fixtures, were led by seven different managers.

Statistically, Dražan Jerković and Vlatko Marković are the most successful managers in Croatia's history; they both recorded victories in each of their few games in charge. Miroslav Blažević, who was the first official manager of the team, holds the highest number of competitve victories, having led Croatia to their best performances at major international tournaments.

Name	Tenure	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	Points per game	Achievements
	1990–1991	3	3	0	0	100.00	3.00
	1992	4	1	1	2	25.00	1.00
	1993	1	1	0	0	100.00	3.00
	1994–2000	73	36	22	15	49.31	1.78	1996 Euro - quarter-final 1998 World Cup - third place
	2000–2002	18	9	6	3	50.00	1.83	2002 World Cup - group stage
	2002–2004	24	11	8	5	45.83	1.70	2004 Euro - group stage
	2004–2006	25	11	8	6	44.00	1.64	2006 World Cup - group stage
	2006–present	28	19	6	3	67.85	2.25	2008 Euro - quarter-final
Totals		176	91	51	33	51.70	1.84

Last updated: Ukraine 0–0 Croatia, October 11, 2008. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Most appearances

#	Name	Clubs	Croatia career	Caps	Goals
1	Dario Šimić	Dinamo Zagreb, Internazionale, AC Milan, AS Monaco	1996–2008	100	3
2	Niko Kovač	Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin, Red Bull Salzburg	1996–present	83	15
3	Robert Jarni	Hajduk Split, Bari, Torino, Juventus, Real Betis, Real Madrid, Las Palmas, Panathinaikos	1990–2002	81	1
4	Robert Kovač	Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund	1999–present	80	0
5	Stipe Pletikosa	Hajduk Split, Shakhtar Donetsk, Spartak Moscow	1999–present	76	0
6	Davor Šuker	Dinamo Zagreb, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal, West Ham United, 1860 Munich	1990–2002	69	45
7	Josip Šimunić	Hertha Berlin	2001–present	68	3
8	Aljoša Asanović	Metz, Cannes, Montpellier, Hajduk Split, Real Valladolid, Derby County, Napoli, Panathinaikos	1990–2000	62	4
9	Darijo Srna	Hajduk Split, Shakhtar Donetsk	2002–present	62	17
10	Zvonimir Soldo	Dinamo Zagreb, VfB Stuttgart	1994–2002	61	3

Players in bold typeface are still active in football. Last updated: Ukraine 0–0 Croatia, October 11, 2008.

Leading goalscorers

#	Name	Croatia career	Goals	Caps	Average
1	Davor Šuker	1990–2002	45	69	0.65
2	Darijo Srna	2002–present	17	62	0.27
3	Goran Vlaović	1992–2002	16	52	0.30
4	Niko Kovač	1996–present	15	83	0.18
5	Eduardo da Silva	2004–present	13	22	0.59
6	Zvonimir Boban	1991–1999	12	51	0.23
7	Robert Prosinečki	1993–2002	11	49	0.22
=8	Alen Bokšić	1993–2002	10	40	0.25
=8	Boško Balaban	2000 – present	10	35	0.28
=8	Ivica Olić	2002–present	10	61	0.16
=8	Ivan Klasnić	2004–present	10	33	0.30
=8	Mladen Petrić	2001–present	10	30	0.33
=13	Dado Pršo	2003–2006	9	32	0.28

Players in bold typeface are still active in football. Last updated: Ukraine 0–0 Croatia, October 11, 2008.

Players

Current squad

2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
Date announced	September 29, 2008
Games	, October 11, 2008 , October 15, 2008

Caps, goals and numbers are as of October 11, 2008 and game vs. Ukraine.

¹ withdrew due to an injury on October 8, 2008

Other recent appearances

The following players have also appeared for the national squad in 2008Defenders

Name	Date of birth	Club	Caps (goals)	Most recent cap
Robert Kovač ²	April 4, 1974	Borussia Dortmund	80 (0)	v. England, September 10, 2008
Dario Šimić ¹	November 12, 1975	AS Monaco	100 (3)	v. Slovenia, August 20, 2008

Midfielders

Name	Date of birth	Club	Caps (goals)	Most recent cap
Niko Kranjčar ³	August 13, 1984	Portsmouth	46 (4)	v. Slovenia, August 20, 2008
Marko Babić	January 28, 1981	Real Betis	49 (3)	v. Netherlands, February 6, 2008

Strikers

Name	Date of birth	Club	Caps (goals)	Most recent cap
Igor Budan ³	April 22, 1980	Palermo	6 (0)	v. Austria, June 8, 2008
Eduardo da Silva ³	February 25, 1983	Arsenal	22 (13)	v. Netherlands, February 6, 2008

¹ retired from the national team
² is not eligible for selection for the next four matches due to suspension
³ are not eligible for selection for the upcoming matches due to injuries

Previous squads

1940s participants

Players who scored for the Independent State of Croatia team that played their games during World War II:

#	Name	Croatia career	Goals	Caps	Average
1	Franjo Wölfl	1940–1944	13	18	0.72
2	Zvonimir Cimermančić	1940–1944	8	17	0.47
3	August Lešnik	1940–1944	6	9	0.66
=4	Milan Antolković	1940–1943	3	9	0.33
=4	Branko Pleše	1941–1944	3	13	0.23
=6	Slavko Pavletić	1941–1942	2	4	0.50
=6	Mirko Kokotović	1940–1944	2	15	0.13
=8	Slavko Beda	1941	1	1	1.00
=8	Antun Lokošek	1944	1	1	1.00
=8	Zvonko Jazbec	1940	1	3	0.33
=8	Florijan Matekalo	1940	1	4	0.25
=8	Ratko Kacijan	1940–1943	1	10	0.10

Records

From 2006, Robert Jarni held the highest number of appearances for the national team; he played 81 times for Croatia until his retirement in 2002. However, during the 2006 World Cup fixture against Japan, Dario Šimić surpassed this distinction and went on to total 100 national caps since his presence in all major tournaments from 1996. He became the first Croatian player to reach this milestone and subsequently retired in 2008, being treated to a brief media appraisal.

Davor Šuker is Croatia's leading goalscorer with 45 international goals in his appearances for the team, a record that saw him recognised as Croatia's "Golden Player" at the UEFA jubilee celebration in 2004. Šuker retired in 2002 and his achievement is still to be challenged, with Darijo Srna in a distant second position with 17 goals (as of September 2008). Amongst the closest contenders was Brazilian-born Eduardo da Silva, who opted to play for Croatia and prolifically commenced his international career with 13 goals in 22 senior appearances (as of August 2008), making him amongst the most consistent strikers for Croatia. The record for goals in a single match is held by Mladen Petrić, who scored four times during Croatia's 7–0 home victory over Andorra on October 7, 2006.

The national team's joint record for highest-scoring victory comes from two 7–0 results, over Andorra in 2006 and against Australia in a pre-tournament friendly during 1998. Croatia's worst defeat is also a joint record, with two 5–1 defeats against the German national team in the 1940s, as well as a 4–0 loss to Italy during the same period when the Croatian team represented the short-lived Independent State of Croatia. In the modern era, Croatia suffered a 4–1 defeat against Slovakia in a 1994 friendly, a 3–0 defeat to Portugal at Euro 96 and a 3–0 loss to Netherlands in a 2008 friendly (Croatia's worst defeat on home soil since 1990).

Jurica Vranješ is the youngest player to appear for the national team in the modern era, debuting at 19 years, 4 months and 13 days against Egypt on June 13, 1999. Goran Jurić was the oldest player to debut, earning his first cap at 34 years, 1 month and 28 days in a game against Slovenia on April 2, 1997, while Dražen Ladić is the oldest Croatian to compete at international level, playing his farewell match at 37 years, 4 months and 27 days old on May 28, 2000, a friendly against France in Zagreb.

Stadium

The Croatia team plays its home matches at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, where they have maintained a record of only one competitive defeat since 1994. Croatia remained undefeated in competitive matches at the stadium until their downfall against England on September 10, 2008 in a 2010 World Cup qualifying fixture. With a burden of injuries and a red card in the second half, the English won by four goals to one. The stadium takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. It is one of the oldest facilities in the country, with the current building regarded as an innovative refurbishment of the original stadium built in 1912. The stadium has hosted national team fixtures since their competitive home debut against Lithuania; it also hosted the matches of Croatian teams during the World War eras.

Further improvements, designed to increase the current 40,000 seating capacity, are planned, as part of a renovation expected to make Maksimir the most expensive football stadium in the world. However, UEFA threatened in 2008 to limit the number of fans allowed during future fixtures as a penalty for crowd troubles at the European Championships. Shortly after the final proposition of Maksimir's renovation plans, Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic expressed a refusal to proceed with the construction due to exceeding costs of the operation; until a consensus is reached the refurbishment has once again been postponed. In 2006, a large divot in the stadium's turf resulted in an infamous own goal let in by goalkeeper Paul Robinson. Friendly games have sometimes been played at Hajduk Split's home ground, the Poljud Stadium, and minor exhibitions at the Kantrida Stadium in Rijeka among others.

Home venues record

Since Croatia's first fixture (October 17, 1990 vs. United States) they have played their home games at 8 different stadiums.

Venue	City	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	Points per game
Maksimir	Zagreb	40	27	11	2	87	21	2.34
Kantrida	Rijeka	9	8	1	0	14	2	2.77
Poljud	Split	9	0	6	3	7	12	0.66
Stadion Varteksa	Varaždin	6	4	2	0	12	3	2.33
Gradski vrt	Osijek	5	3	2	0	14	5	2.20
Kranjčevićeva	Zagreb	1	1	0	0	3	0	3.00
Šubićevac	Šibenik	1	0	1	0	2	2	1.00
Aldo Drosina	Pula	1	0	0	1	1	2	0.00
Totals		70	42	23	5	137	47	2.12

Last updated: Croatia 1–4 England, September 10, 2008. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Supporters

Croatia's prominent supporters are followers of Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb, the two best-supported clubs in the Croatian domestic league, the Prva HNL. The clubs' ultra-style supporter groups, the Bad Blue Boys of Zagreb and The Torcida from Split, have both been associated in recent years with hooliganism. Though violence between the two groups has marked fixtures in the domestic league, Croatia's international performances remain clear of such clashes.

Their fans have nonetheless been heavily sanctioned for their conduct at international performances since the team's formation. The Croatian football federation has been penalized repeatedly for acts of alleged racism by the fans, initially during matches at Euro 2004 which led to a threat by UEFA to expel the Croatian side. In recent years, the Croatians have showed defiance against national security and regulations. During the 2006 World Cup, a Croatian supporter evaded security and made his way onto the field, approaching the Croatian players in excitement. The trespassing fan was arrested after being escorted off the field by Dado Pršo as the whole incident prompted a brief media sensation. When Croatia played Italy in a friendly match in Livorno, the small group of Croats responded to the waving of communist flags by forming the shape of a swastika, the symbol of the Nazi regime. The Croatian football federation eventually faced further charges by UEFA for the incident. Similar events occurred at Euro 2008 as UEFA penalized Croatia for the display of inappropriate banners against Turkey. After an initial investigation by FIFA, another fine was issued to the Croatian football federation for the racial abuse shown towards striker Emile Heskey during the loss to England on September 10, 2008.

Croatian supporters have additionally been sanctioned for their constant use of flares during major fixtures. Such a tendency also derives from domestic league derby matches, and Croatia's traveling performances have been marked several times with tifo choreography from their followers. The use of such pyrotechnic devices has been strongly prohibited, which has led to numerous confiscations from Croatian supporters. Former defender and current agent Igor Štimac and midfielder Luka Modrić admitted that the use of highly supporting procedures have motivated the Croatian squad prior to fixtures.

Ethnic and religious disturbances, often caused by patriotic differences from the war, have also occurred involving Croatian followers. On June 3, 1990, Yugoslavia played the Netherlands in Zagreb in a warmup fixture prior to the 1990 World Cup. The Croatian crowd expressed disapproval towards the Yugoslavian national anthem and players, subsequently cheering for the Dutch side. In the same year, Maksimir Stadium hosted a patriotic riot between a large turnout of Croats and Serbs. The two cross-ethnic fans assaulted each other as a signal of the recent hatred instigated by the parliamentary election. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in such a manner, Croatian followers have caused heavy tensions between affiliated supporters of the former Yugoslavian state. During the 2006 World Cup, encounters in Mostar between Bosniaks and Croatians led to numerous arrests and severe injuries after the cross-religious nationalists began to attack each other. Further clashes between opposing fans, mostly that of Muslim involvement, occurred at Euro 2008 against Turkey. The two supporters gathered in Vienna shortly before the quarter final fixture, which initially prompted heavy security. After the match, Croatian fans bypassed the police resistance and clashed with the Turkish supporters. The brawl resulted in further arrests on both sides as the perpetrators were escorted away from each other.

Media

National team fixtures are regularly shown live and replayed on Croatia's principal broadcasting station HRT, with Igor Štimac anchoring commentary since his retirement. Additionally, the national team have been prominent subjects of media association since their formation. In 2007, they founded a minor charity movement after their affiliated calendar appearances were purchased nationwide. The following year, the Vlado Malešević Foundation revealed the production of a football anthem dedicated to Croatia's national team, with all proceeds also devoted to charity.

Shortly after his appointment, manager Slaven Bilić and his rock band released a hit titled "Vatreno Ludilo" (Fiery Madness) which recalls the team's progress during the 1998 World Cup and champions its present ambitions. The song became a #1 hit in the Croatian music charts and was played widely during the Euro 2008 campaign. Bilić's enthusiasm was ultimately well received in Croatia, inspiring the team's nickname "Bilić Boys". Other prominent Croatian bands such as Dino Dvornik, Zaprešić boys, Prljavo kazalište and Baruni have also recorded mantras which have been used to support the national team. Popular hymns have included:

Malo nas je al nas ima (We are little, but we are many)
Samo je jedno (There is but one thing [in my life])
Moj dom je Hrvatska (Croatia is my homeland)
Srce Vatreno (Heart of Fire)
Hrvatska je prvak svijeta (Croatia are world champions).

Additionally, the squad themselves adopted the song Lijepa li si (how beautiful you are) by influential rock band Thompson, primarily because of its modern similarity to the national anthem. The correlation with Thompon's music has increased heavily in the buildup to significant fixtures. When Croatia faced Israel in a home qualifier, the music was not played as usual due to political concerns involving the band's criticism from Jewish organisations. At the conclusion of the match, the squad and management team voiced their opinions and opposed against Thompson's alleged controversy. During Croatia's final qualifying victory against England at Wembley Stadium, British performer Tony Henry mispronounced the closing lyrics of the Croatian anthem. Henry's fear of criticism was later retracted as the players credited his error as a relieving factor behind their victory.