Croatia’s run to the World Cup final defies explanation

Croatian soccer had been rocked by scandal leading into the World Cup, but the team have excelled against the odds in Russia.

From the outside looking in, Croatia’s run to the World Cup final hasn’t come as so much of a surprise. Sure, they’re the smallest nation to have made it to the biggest game in world soccer since Uruguay won the thing all the way back in 1950, but look through the Croatia team and their pedigree becomes clear.

Indeed, a country of just over 4 million inhabitants has forged a world class outfit boasting talents who play for the likes of Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid. They’ve won league and Champions League titles, and now they’ll have the chance to win the World Cup as well, with Croatia facing France in Moscow on Sunday.

But for those who know, those who are closest to the country, Croatia’s run to the final has come against the darkest of backdrops. This is a country whose footballing scene has been ravaged by corruption and scandal in recent years. Luka Modric, Croatia’s captain and midfield pacemaker, is currently charged with perjury. Before the World Cup, the detachment between the country’s soccer federation and its public had reached critical levels.

Much of what has dogged Croatian soccer over the past few years can be linked to Zdravko Mamic, the former owner of Dinamo Zagreb, who was sentenced last month to six-and-a-half years in prison for his role in an embezzlement case. Many seem him as the true boss of the Croatian soccer federation, with Modric charged with giving false testimony in regards to financial deals done with the businessman. His 2008 transfer from Dinamo Zagreb to Tottenham has been of interest to the court.

Dejan Lovren has also testified in the case of Mamic, who has since fled to Bosnia. From this a great distrust of Croatian soccer and the national team has festered. Modric in particular has become a target in his homeland, with the Real Madrid midfielder widely seen as the embodiment of all that’s wrong with the sport in the country.

And yet from this scorched earth green shoots have appeared. Many Croatia fans feel conflicted over the achievements of their team at the World Cup this summer. Their campaign in Russia has existed in isolation, with the majority of supporters putting to the side their feelings on the bigger picture for the duration of the tournament. After that, though, Croatia will face its problems once more.

If Croatia pull off a shock and topple France on Sunday it will be the unlikeliest of World Cup triumphs. They’re already in that realm purely by making the final. Many have been quick to use Croatia as an example of how a small country can compete at the top of the sport, but is there really any sound logic or process behind their rise?

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After all, this is a country whose youth system has been severely handicapped by problems elsewhere in the federation. Some small countries, such as Uruguay or Iceland, succeed as a result of the infrastructure they have in place at all levels of the game. Croatia’s success can’t be attributed to the same things.

This only adds to the sense of a glorious triumph against the odds for Croatia. The draw might have fallen in their favour at this World Cup, but Zlatko Dalic’s side have still had to beat Nigeria, Argentina, Iceland, Denmark, Russia and finally England on their run to the final. If they’re to go all the way and win the thing, they’ll have seen off two (possibly three, depending on whether England count) international soccer superpowers.

Croatia has long talked about a golden generation to match the side that made the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup. Twenty years on, they’ve already gone one better. Croatia are good enough to win Sunday’s final, but the story of how they became so good, how they got so far, will go down as an unsolvable quirk in World Cup folklore.