Referees, Croatia Not On Final Level

Truth needs to be faced and said that Metlicic, Sprem, Valcic and Balic were not on the level of a final match.

It is hard to look back on the final match of the 2009 World Handball Championship between Croatia and France, because everyone was overwhelmed with emotion. It is not a trifle being defeated on home ground, before the home audience, in front of everyone who expected that final step. Surely, they saw the “men in black” as the sole reason why Croatia lost in the very end.

Perhaps there was not a single person in the Arena sports hall who did not wish something bad happened to Danish referees Olesen and Pedersen, who did their job with a smile on their face, regardless of the fact that they were aware they were not doing it right. Their calls were surely not aided by what the director of the Croatian Handball Association Zoran Gobac said before the final.

He accused them of being thieves, literally, in advance. Nobody likes hearing this, but it is not as if the words lacked arguments. Croatia previously played with them as the referees, twice and they even managed the Zagreb HC match once.

However, this should have been selector Lino Cervar`s motive to psychologically prepare the players for what might happen and for what did happen. the Danish referees were not psychologically prepared either.

Clearly vindictive, they lost their bearings and allowed the roughest team of the championship to be even rougher. Of course, the French used this and punished. On the other hand, the criteria were stricter, some breakthroughs were countered with 7-metre shots, while a few expulsions were given, which perhaps should not have been given and the players snapped.

Lino had to prepare the players

Tugging was especially noticeable while the scoreboard showed 13:11 and Croatia was in the lead. A 7-metre shot was given to France after a non-existent foul on Abalo, followed by an expulsion. Still, this cannot be the alibi for Croatia`s play in the second half.

The hosts lacked idea, selector Lino Cervar conducted a horrible experiment, he removed Sprem from the attack and used him for defence, because he stopped Abalo. However, making Lackovic play in his position was a mistake, an indicator of system failure.

By doing this, Lino lost a shooter in the mood and he lacked game constructors, because Duvnjak, just like Balic, was sitting on the bench. Petar Metlicic played the larger part of the match, the captain who lost too much time discussing with the referees, who were itching for it.

The French were better, because of their psyche. They were aware of the tensions, pressure and powerful Croatia, but they were prepared and patiently waited for their opportunity. They noticed Croats were breaking and Karabatic took this shot, he provoked Balic. This was actually the start of the downfall.

Punished for the mistakes they did not make

This was not the first time Croats played as the referees blew wind in someon`s else`s back, but Metlicic pointed out that they are maturer and more experienced than ever. They why all this? Six years ago, in the match with Spain and in the final with the Germans, the referees did the same thing, but Croats did not break.

Have Croatian handball players gone mad because of the treatment of handball organisations, which, despite excellent results, systematically ignore them and make them feel subjected? They should know, but they also should be aware that when push comes to shove…

The truth needs to be faced; Petar Metlicic was too nervous, which did not help his teammates; Goran Sprem missed the goal four consecutive times, which he should not have done; Ivano Balic was non-existent; Tonci Valcic got lost and this was no way to win the match.

The selector and the players made mistakes and they were punished for it. They can sit down and weep because the referees will not be punished for their mistakes, as always, but they have a silver medal, they are the second team in the world, they lost to the best team at the moment, France, which inflicted the only two defeats for the Croatian team in the past two world championships.

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