Croatian FA sacks Under-17 coach after declaration of support for Real Betis against Dinamo Zagreb
The Croatian FA (HNS) have sacked national Under-17 coach Robert Jarni after he expressed his desire for Real Betis to defeat Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa Conference League.
A statement from the HNS on Thursday declared that its executive committee had “unanimously” decided to relieve Jarni, 55, of his duties “after inappropriate statements in the media”.
It came in the aftermath of Jarni — a former Croatian international who starred in the nation’s run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1998 — telling Croatian media outlet Vecernji that he wanted Spanish club Betis to defeat Dinamo Zagreb in their Conference League knockout playoff tie.
Jarni made 99 first-team appearances for Betis across three seasons at the club in the late 1990s.
The former left-sided winger also started both his playing and coaching careers at Hajduk Split, the fierce domestic rivals of Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.
Ahead of his former club Betis playing Dinamo, Jarni said: “Who will I support? Betis is my club, I spent three wonderful years there, but I didn’t play for Dinamo.
“I don’t know who could blame me for that. At the same time, I am a Hadjuk (Split) fan at heart.”
In their statement on Thursday, the HNS added that they “support the right of every individual, including every soccer player — including national team players — to support whatever club they want, even against Croatian clubs in Europe, even though such thinking is not considered desirable.”
Jednoglasnom odlukom Izvršnog odbora Hrvatskog nogometnog saveza, Robert Jarni razriješen je dužnosti izbornika hrvatske U-17 reprezentacije nakon neprimjerenih izjava u medijima.
Izvršni odbor HNS-a podržava pravo svakog pojedinca, pa tako i svakog nogometaša – uključujući… pic.twitter.com/kUVlrEvVp0
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) February 15, 2024
However, they added that the “higher standards apply to all Croatian head coaches” and for any head coach associated with the HNS to openly support a club against a Croatian opponent in European competition is “inappropriate, undesirable and inadmissible”.
The HNS added: “Promoting unity within the Croatian football family is a condition without which no Croatian national team can be successfully managed”.
They added that all head coaches with the HNS have a responsibility “to promote togetherness, cooperation, respect and mutual trust between all Croatian clubs, so HNS considers this kind of decision the only correct one in order to protect the unity of the Croatian football family”.
Dinamo Zagreb striker and Croatia international Bruno Petkovic, 29, addressed Jarni’s comments in his pre-match press conference appearance.
“Being Croatian, he is acting like a clown for cheering on a team that is not Croatian,” Petkovic told reporters, as per Vecernji.
Dinamo Zagreb won the first game of their two-legged knockout tie in Seville on Thursday night, with Petkovic netting the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 76th minute.
(Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
