There has been a major turnaround regarding the reception of Croatia’s bronze medal–winning handball players in Zagreb.
Minister of Tourism Tonči Glavina confirmed that the Government of the Republic of Croatia, at a telephone session, made a decision to take over the organization of the reception for the handball players who won the bronze medal at the European Championship.
The reception will be held today at 6:00 p.m. at Ban Josip Jelačić Square, and when asked whether Marko Perković Thompson, a promoter of Ustasha ideas, would perform at the event, Glavina briefly replied:
“We will fulfill all the wishes of the handball players.”
On that occasion, the minister also sent a sharp message aimed at the City of Zagreb.
“The City of Zagreb said ‘no’ to sport, to the handball players, to the people, and to the celebration of our top sporting achievements. That is unacceptable to us and we are very saddened by it. The Government loves sport and says ‘yes’ to sport, ‘yes’ to the handball players, to the people, and to Croatian patriotic songs. We have made a decision and the Government, together with the Croatian Handball Federation, is organizing a magnificent reception for the handball players today at 6:00 p.m. at Ban Josip Jelačić Square. We invite all fellow citizens to join and be part of a beautiful atmosphere,” Glavina said.
It should not be forgotten that Thompson has often been banned in Croatia as well due to the promotion of Ustashism and the incitement of hatred toward Serbs. Croatia’s handball players have already celebrated by singing songs such as “Bojna Čavoglave,” which calls for the killing of Serbs—
The Government then issued an official statement from the closed part of the session, in which the holding of the reception was confirmed. We convey the statement in full:
“Taking into account that the Croatian national handball team won the bronze medal at the European Handball Championship, which was held in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, representing another exceptional success of this generation of handball players, the Government of the Republic of Croatia considers it necessary to organize an appropriate reception in Zagreb. Accordingly, at this morning’s telephone session, the Government adopted a Conclusion on taking over the organization of the reception for the bronze medal–winning handball players, in cooperation with the Croatian Handball Federation. The reception will be held on Monday, February 2, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m., at Ban Josip Jelačić Square in Zagreb. We invite all fans and citizens to come to the central city square of the capital of Croatia, greet the Croatian handball players, and celebrate their great success together with them.”
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Source: Nova.rs; Foto: EPA/ANTONIO BAT