Croatian sport has talent, but lacks the money and experts to keep it

Croatia does not lack sports halls and playing fields as much as it lacks people qualified to work with children, and money to keep promising athletes in domestic clubs. That is the warning from Milivoj Bebić, president of the Croatian Club of Olympians.

Speaking after a board meeting in Slavonski Brod, Bebić said the country’s infrastructure, particularly in cities, is not as serious a problem as the shortage of expert staff. Youth coaching, he argued, is undervalued and underpaid, even though the youngest and most sensitive stages of development should receive the best expertise.

“

What worries me most is what is almost unstoppable.

The financial problem becomes especially visible when exceptional talent appears. Croatian clubs often cannot afford to keep young athletes long enough for them to mature within the domestic system. “What worries me most is what is almost unstoppable,” Bebić said. “Our best players leave for European clubs at 16, 17 or 18, continue developing there and later return that quality through national-team appearances. But we no longer have them in our clubs and cities.”

“

Our best players leave for European clubs at 16, 17 or 18, continue developing there and later return that quality through national-team appearances. But we no longer have them in our clubs and cities.

Bebić believes Croatia has an important foundation for developing sport: a network of clubs and competitions. Without enough funding to keep the best young athletes in that environment, however, the system cannot reach its full potential. Qualified coaches exist, but their working conditions often prevent them from devoting themselves fully to the profession.

He also raised a less discussed issue, the transition athletes face after retirement. Years of daily training and competition can leave little time for education, while society is not sufficiently prepared to help athletes move into their next stage of life. Bebić said athletes and society share responsibility, and warned that football’s financial strength can create a misleading picture of what professional sport offers. “Many athletes do not secure their livelihood during their careers, fall behind with their education and struggle to adapt,” he said.

“

Many athletes do not secure their livelihood during their careers, fall behind with their education and struggle to adapt.