Cervar: I Will Write To IHF For Damaging Croatia

I took over the last team in Europe and won gold in just a year. Since then, I have been under attack, Lino Cervar said.

Selector of the Croatian handball team Lino Cervar has fallen ill with all the stress and ended up in bed, because he was order to get some rest. According to doctor`s orders. He must leave all his obligations behind and get some proper rest, but it is hard to relax when every glance at the media reveals a new attack on his work and successes.

Severe criticism and attacks

- My blood pressure has gone bad, I`m on sick leave and the doctors told me to rest. You know I had problems with a cold and my throat during the entire World Handball Championship. Al has bottled up because of all the stress and I must get some rest – the best winning selector in all Croatian team sports Lino Cervar explained for Javno news site.

Many critics

Many handball fans have been criticising Lino Cervar. Velimir Kljajic, Ante Kostelic, Niksa Kaleb and various sports reporters, who constantly disparage his work.

They all agree that without Cervar, the team would be more successful, but their honesty is questionable, because some of them criticised Lino when he was winning golden medals in Portugal and Athens.

Still, his title does not mean a thing to the critics. Cervar realised that gold and silver medals do not mean a thing to those who do not like him.

Croatia Was Robbed In Two Finals

- I took over the last team in Europe and won gold in just a year. Since then, I have been under attack. I was accused of my ego being too big and that I lack charisma and that I have to put my feet on the ground. They analysed my every competition and hit below the belt. I would like to say that I`m worried about our country if this is the way to make controversies - Lino Cervar said, evidently fatigues.

- If this will help them get to heaven, then let it be, good luck to them – Cervar briefly looked back on his critics, emphasising that he does not have a problem with the criticism, but he does have a problem with sensing evil intensions too often in them, as well as a step away from handball and an attack on him as a person.

Nevertheless, the EHF has replaced the Swedish Canbro – Claeson pair, who were supposed to have been the referees at the final match of the 2009 World Handball Championship played in Zagreb.

Due to all these pressures after Croatia was defeated by France, for the first time in his career, Cervar did not review the match the following day, but he saw it three days after Croatia won silver at the European championship.

- I waited for emotions to settle down and watched the match only yesterday. I can say that I will sent a letter of protest to the International Handball Federation, because the referees made ten calls against us in the last 15 minutes and that was not the way to play. You know yourselves that the matches between us and the French are always equalised and that every tiny thing is decisive. It is enough to take a look at several last competitions, all matches when someone beat us were decided in the very end – Lino explained the cause of his resentment with referees Olesen and Pedersen.

The selector did not miss to accept his fault, because he claims one can always do better and that nobody can say they were immaculate, not even him.

- If I had left Hrvatin in the game, perhaps it would have been better, but he was criticised as well. Perhaps if I had set up a tighter defence 6-0, know knows, many things could be said right now, but the fact is that we fell in the last ten minutes, after a line of bad calls directed against us. I did not have many combinations, Balic was injured, Pero is not himself and Lac underwent surgery – he said.

Cervar pointed out what is true – the French are an exceptionally powerful team with the best goalkeeper in the world, Omeyer, one of the best left outer players Narcisse, the best of the best Karabatic, the best defence player Dinart, the best left wing Guigou and many more, who play in the most powerful clubs, and the most important thing is that their game is continuous.

Gets his strength from the fans

Croatian players are either injured or not prepared enough and they lacked continuity in powerful matches. However, Cervar is not afraid of the future, because there are many young players who have surface up in this golden generation.

- We are the only ones out of four best teams to have quietly completed the shift of generations. We have Duvnjak, Cupic, Horvat, Strlek, Gojun, Kopljar, Pesic and others. And we are still at the top, we won a silver medal with a golden shine and we will have a team for the world top at the 2012 Olympic Games in London – the Croatian handball selector predicts.

In the end, he forgot about the critics and turned to more positive things – which are of course, the fans.

- Some 50,000 people proved that we won silver and did not lose gold when we were welcomed in Zagreb, and this delights me most. These people are with us, they realise our lads are fair, incorrupt, good people. This is why I am additionally saddened by the fact that they are called out, they don`t deserve such a thing. Therefore, I always draw strength in our dear people, who are with us with all their hearts and cheer us on, no matter where we perform – Lino felt good as soon as he remembered those who support his players.