For a moment, Croatia Underdog Basks in World Cup joy

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA – When the Croatian national football team scored the goal that prevailed over England and its first World Cup final, delusional fans lit torches and burned tires in front of the imposing ramparts of the old city of Dubrovnik

The euphoria of the moment has raised the spirits of a nation disillusioned on several fronts, such as the slow transition to the European Union , a stagnant economy, a political stalemate and even the source of its current joy – football. moment, no one thinks of problems, "said Maroje Burum, a fan." The man, it's almost witty. "

When the World Cup started a month ago, some Croats initially hesitated to cheer on the national team because it was tainted by a corruption scandal and exploited as a symbol of nationalism. "Football has become a kind of cancer in Croatia and before the World Cup, we were divided, "said Drazan Lalic, a leading sociologist and political scientist based in Zagreb

Cup discussed, all the ills of the country seem to be encapsulated by Croatian football. [19659002] A trial revealed an endemic corruption involving the most influential Croatian footballer – Zdravko Mamic, the former president of one of the country's most prominent teams, Dinamo Zagreb – he was convicted of crimes. Taxes for Huge Profits on Spawning It's the transfer of the best Croatian players who joined some of the best football clubs in Europe before fleeing to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he is hiding

. , arguably Croatia's greatest player ever, took the position during the trial, he claimed to know nothing about it. He was widely mocked and wall paintings of him were disfigured across the country.

In May, he was charged with perjury and could face up to five years in prison. The case turned some Croats against Mr. Modric and tainted the national team.

But as the team progressed in the World Cup, the trial faded. Mr. Modric, who was allowed to play because he has not yet been convicted, was one of this year's tournament's best players, and his reputation in the country has been largely rehabilitated.

"Modric is the best player Croatia has ever had," said Burum. "The trial will do its job, but most people like it.It's a real captain right now."

Football in Croatia is so deeply connected to the culture, politics and war that have ravaged the country in the 1990s that gambling can be used as one of the most important In 1990, Yugoslavia collapsed and ethnic tensions between Croats and Serbs of the country, which the state had maintained at flow, were in full screen during a match between rival clubs Red Star Belgrade and Croatian Dinamo. Zagreb. Before the first whistle, riots broke out at the Zagreb Stadium

While the match was often mistakenly cited as the first battle of the Croatian War of Independence, Mr. Lalic said that he played an important psychological role. "Yugoslavia ceased to exist when the Dinamo-Red Star riot took place," he said. "If we can not play football and be on the same terraces, it was impossible to live together."

By the end of the war, 20,000 Croats had died.

In the post-war period, politicians in Croatia, like many around the world, sought to exploit the success of sports teams and athletes by taking pictures with them, including their campaigns, by citing in their speeches and trying to convert their athletic achievements into political victories

. The national football team was used by politicians as a means of rallying voters by masquerading as nationalist and Croatian supporters, even though they broke agreements with the same minority parties

. in 1991, Franjo Tudjman, a fierce football fan who understood the importance of the game for the nation and its political ambitions.

"Football victories shape identity Its theory was put to the test at the 1998 World Cup in France, the first time Croatia, wearing the red plaid shirt and now emblematic white, it was qualified for the first time … tournament, now this jersey is everywhere, with tourists who catch it alongside Croatians.It adorns cars, balconies and even donkeys.

That year, Croatia qualified for the semi-finals, where the team lost to France, memories lasted a long time in the Balkans and Sunday's game was presented here as an opportunity for revenge.

After the tournament in 1998, the glow finally faded and Croatia had to face the growing suffering of any new state.For the next decade, it had a goal in head: accession to the European Union.

Dep In 2013, following its accession to the Union, like many new Member States from Central and Eastern Europe, membership did not bring much economic growth. expected wait, especially outside cities and tourist destinations.

Anton Masle, one of the nation's leading journalists and now the editor of a local newspaper in Dubrovnik, said that the nation was struck by many problems.

"As a small nation, it was different.

"You know what the Italians say when you ask them about their financial situation and their risk of bankruptcy: we are too big to fail. a glass of wine on the paved street near Libertas, a famous redoubt for Dubrovnik artists and writers. "Do you know what Croats say? We are too small to fail."

When you are little, you have to hit over your weight to be felt. And in this country of less than 4 million people, sport has long played a disproportionate role in the national psyche, nothing more than football.

But sports success does not mask other problems, as evidenced by the exodus of young people. In 1998, the population was about 4.6 million inhabitants. The ruling party has a fragile majority that needs support from minority parties, which makes it extremely difficult to govern.

"Many young Croats faced with unemployment and low wages are questioning," said Aida Vidan, specialist in Southern Slavic languages, literature and cinema at Harvard University

and the gloominess The economy was shaken 17 months ago when Agrokor, a Croatian food and commercial company employing 70,000 people and relying on supplies from an additional 240,000 people in the Balkans, almost fell into disrepair. collapse under huge debts

Agrokor's government bailout committee negotiated with creditors, the health system failed and pension funding ran out

] The victories for Croatia are not easy, but it has only made football much more powerful, and cheers across the country have been for more than football itself.

"This is a e practical escape from reality, of course, and a good dose of optimism for all, "said Boris Vlasic, chronicler of Jutarnji List to

Whatever the final result, says Mr. Vlasic, the realities difficult to wait

There is a match to play