Vatreni and the leadership of the Croatian Football Federation guests at the event “Croatia in the Game”

The ceremony was attended by the President of the Croatian Football Federation, Marijan Kustić; the “Vatreni” led by head coach Zlatko Dalić and captain Luka Modrić; technical director of the senior and U-21 national teams Stipe Pletikosa; Deputy Secretary General Iva Olivari; the Minister of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, Tonči Glavina; Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristijan Staničić; as well as a special guest, the renowned American actor of Croatian heritage John Malkovich, the face of the new promotional film of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), who lent his voice and recognizable presence to this campaign celebrating Croatia and bringing its story closer to audiences worldwide.

“I welcome you on behalf of the Croatian Football Federation and personally. I am pleased that we organized this event at our national team hotel. I would like to thank the Croatian National Tourist Board and Mr. Staničić, and of course the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and Mr. Glavina, with whom we have excellent cooperation. It is wonderful that Croatia and the Croatian diaspora have gathered in one place, and it is nice to see people like Toni Kukoč in the audience, who visited us in Alexandria. I wish everyone much success, and I am glad we watched a beautiful film that is a source of pride for the whole of Croatia and which our players also saw,” said Marijan Kustić.

“Good evening, warm greetings to everyone on behalf of the coaching staff and the Croatian national team players. Thank you for this warm welcome! Thank you for all the emotions, love, and attention you give us, and for the support of all our people. It means a great deal to us and is a major motivation. Ahead of us is the World Cup; at the last two we won two medals and achieved a sporting miracle admired by the whole world. Everyone wonders how a small country like ours can achieve such great things, but we play for our country with special energy, passion, pride, and strong desire. I am proud that our national team follows the values of the Croatian people: patriotism, faith, unity, and love. And that comes back to us. I know how much desire and hope you have for this World Cup, and we are also eagerly waiting for it to begin. Thank you once again for your support - stand with us, do not turn against us. Croatia is loved and respected both when it wins and when it loses. We are all temporary here, but above all of us stands Croatia. Thank you!” said Zlatko Dalić.

“Dear friends of Croatia, I am pleased to greet you on behalf of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Andrej Plenković. This is a special evening for several reasons. We are celebrating the connection between Croatia and the USA in many areas, most notably through sport. As a young country striving to become recognized in the world, athletes play a significant role. And when speaking about the connection between Croatia and the USA, I must mention something personal: my wife Tracey is American from California,” said Tonči Glavina.

“We are very proud tonight to celebrate Croatian-American friendship, sport and tourism, and the Croatian national football team, which has made us very happy many times. Over many years, Croatia and the USA have shared moments in sport and tourism, starting with the very first historic match of the Croatian national team in 1990 in Zagreb, when the opponent was precisely the United States national team,” emphasized Kristijan Staničić.

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