Croatia to host Finland in Rijeka

Following a couple of visits to Osijek, due to currently poor pitch condition at the Gradski vrt Stadium, it was decided that these are not optimal conditions for Croatia squad regarding the important Finland qualifier. Considering the September experience in the home match against Kosovo, Croatian Football Federation responded with a move to a quality ground of Rujevica Stadium in Rijeka.

This decision was explained by Croatian Football Federation executive director Damir Vrbanović:

"Unfortunately, the pitch condition in Osijek is poor and it cannot be significantly improved prior to the match. The national team is our priority and we had no choice but to begin the require venue-change procedure with FIFA, UEFA, and Finland Football Federation. This is the only logical and rational choice in order to provide the best possible conditions for our coach and our players. As we are aware of the great atmosphere in the previous matches in Osijek, Osijek will host one of the following Croatia's qualifying encounters".

Croatia head coach Ante Čačić added:

"I believe this was the only possible decision in the best interest of the national team. We regret missing out on our supporters in Slavonia - I know how much they love the Vatreni, and how much Croatia enjoys playing in Osijek. However, with the World Cup in sight, we need the excellent pitch at Rujevica to achieve our objective, and I have no doubt the atmosphere will be great there as well".

Zbog lošeg stanja travnjaka u Osijeku, a kako bi reprezentacija imala najbolje uvjete za igru, Hrvatska će protiv Finske igrati u Rijeci. pic.twitter.com/jwrLA8NOdi

— HNS | CFF (@HNS_CFF) 22. rujna 2017.

Copyright by Croatian Football Federation. Quoting text from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to HNS as a source and providing direct link to the original content at hns.family. Re-use of the photographs is not permitted.