The behavior of the Croatian coach shocked many in his country
Croatian coach Hrvoje Horvat behaved extremely unexpectedly after the victory against Bahrain on the national team’s farewell from World Championship in handball. He approached the RTL journalist in response to her question he just opened his mouth and didn’t say the words out loud. “I didn’t hear anything from you,” she told him after the selector made a performance when asked about his stay: “I believe that you also spoke with people from the Federation during the World Cup,” was her question.
With such a reaction, Horvath surprised many when he “sent his heart” to the camera and thus in several ways avoided saying whether he was staying and whether he had the support of the national handball federation. Local handball legends condemned the coach’s behavior: “This is a shame, I’ve never experienced this. We can talk about the players, the game, but this is disrespectful. Cveba Horvat, it’s time – that’s what we say in Split. And all those who brought him here This kind of behavior… For me, it is unacceptable,” said Petar Metličić.
At the World Cup, Croatia took second place in the group stage after losing to Egypt and defeating the USA and Morocco, and then in the main stage, they drew with Denmark, defeated Belgium and Bahrain, and still remained “below the line” for qualifying for the quarterfinals. Denmark and Egypt will be there from Group IV, and the consolation for the Croats is that they have almost certainly secured participation in the Olympic qualifications.
Hrvoje Horvat, also known by the nickname “Cveba”, succeeded the legendary Lin Červar on the bench of the national team in 2021, by an almost unanimous decision of the Croatian Handball Association – precisely at Červar’s suggestion, as he had been his assistant since 2017. Under his leadership, the “Cowboys” did not managed to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and at the 2022 European Championship, they finished eighth. Watch his post-match interview:
Tags: Croatian handball coach Hrvoje Horvat interview match Sports
