Nor Villa serving as Croatian HQ

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/06/2014 (4158 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Croatian fans were left disappointed after their soccer side’s opening 3-1 loss to host Brazil in the inaugural game of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 12.

Results aside, fans at the Croatian headquarters at the Nor Villa Hotel (1763 Henderson Hwy.) were still relatively jovial after the disappointing defeat. Garden City resident Miro Gospic, who helped organize the viewing with West St. Paul resident Joe Brnjas, felt the game could have ended in a draw, but a controversial penalty call in the box on Dejan Lovren allowed Brazil’s

Neymar Jr. to put home the game-winning goal on a free kick.

Gospic said since the vast majority of the Croatian community inhabits the north side of Winnipeg, organizers look to bring the members together at a nearby establishment. He said the Henderson Highway Smitty’s just a couple blocks away has also hosted, but the Nor Villa was just a better fit this time around.

“One reason is the Nor Villa has got some great TV screens,” Gospic said. “The other reason is we’re looking to make this a family-friendly environment as well, and they have a restaurant right next door to the lounge so some of the minors can be part of the atmosphere a little bit.”

When the eight groups of four teams were revealed, Gospic was worried about being aligned with one of the world’s powerhouses in Brazil. However, he admitted his tune changed a little bit when it was revealed Croatia would take centre stage at the tournament’s dawn.

“When I first heard the draw, I was saying ‘Geez, we’ve got the toughest team’, but then when the schedule came out, we said ‘what better team to play against than the host?’” Gospic reasoned.

Hotel manager Noele Gauthier expects between 80 and 100 fans to attend each of the Croatian games, and the attendance for the Thursday afternoon opener was right on that range. She added games featuring the tournament’s other 31 teams would likely be more hit-and-miss.

Gauthier added there will be food and drink specials offered during each game.

Croatia plays Cameroon on June 18 at 5 p.m. and Mexico on June 23 at 3 p.m. The side will need to win both games to boost its odds of moving past the group stage, an expectation Gospic noted before the opening match. If that happens, and the game is on a weekend, he expects the bar will be “standing room only”.

The schedule isn’t entirely compatible for those who work day jobs, but Brnjas operates his own business while Gospic said taking time off around the tournament has become an expectation for his co-workers.

Like many Croatians, Gospic is hoping for a repeat of the country’s World Cup debut in 1998, where the squad went on a Cinderella run to the semifinals before falling to host and eventual champion France.

According to the 2011 census, just over 900 Winnipeggers reported their mother tongue as being Croatian.

Facebook.com/TheHeraldWpg
Twitter: @HeraldWPG