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Australia will have many fans at the World Cup

Rise of a "Second Croatia" Down Under

Ozren Podnar reports...

Croatia qualified for the 2006 World Cup on October 8th by beating Sweden, so why was the nation on needles in the morning of November 16th?

Well, on that morning, by Central European Time to be specific, Australia played the decider against Uruguay. And Australia is, be it known, full of players of Croatian origin. And for Croats, origin matters.

No less than eight (seven and a half, really) players selected by Guus Hiddink are children of immigrants from the former Yugoslav republic.

They are, specifically, Zeljko Kalac (Milan), Ante Covic (Hammarby), Jason Culina (PSV Eindhoven), Ljubo Milicevic (FC Thun), Toni Popovic (Crystal Palace), Josip Skoko (Wigan), Mark Viduka (Middlesborough) and Marco Bresciano (Parma), whose mother is Croatian (so he is the half of the aforementioned "seven and a half").

And, contrary to what many people think, Tony Vidmar is not a member of this group, for he is of the Slovenian stock. Luckily, because nine Croats would be too many to bear.

All eight players are expected to be called up for the first World Cup in which the Ozzies will make their presence after 1974, when the event took place where else but West Germany.

Well, now you know why many Croatian fans did not miss either leg of the Australia-Uruguay tie, pulling their hair in dispair when "their fellow countryman" Mark Viduka missed a penalty in the fourth series.

Viduka, of course, played for three and a half seasons for Dinamo Zagreb between 1995 and 1999, being one of the idols of the country's most popular club's followers.

The relations between Croatia and its diaspora are very tight because many Croats were forced to abandon the country during the existence of Yugoslavia, having felt themselves politically persecuted because of their ethnicity.

Some Australo-Croats in fact opted to wear the chequered shirt instead of the yellow one. They are the current Croatian internationals Anthony Seric, Joseph Simunic and Joseph Didulica.

Still, Hertha's Simunic believes that Australia's current success and its forthcoming inclusion in the Asian qualifying zone will convince more Australo-Croats to stay "down under" rather than join the team of their forefathers.

Whatever the future may bring, the Croatian fans will have two chances at celebration at the next World Cup in Germany, their hopes placed in Croatia proper and - Australia.

Ozren Podnar

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