Croatia legend Davor Šuker has urged Hong Kong to follow the Croatian football model during a visit to the city. The former Croatian Football Federation president and FIFA ambassador made the comments on Thursday, also defending the work of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Šuker was in Hong Kong to be made honorary president of local club Eastern District. His appointment, as reported by the South China Morning Post Sport, left a few people scratching their heads but also brought hope to the local football scene. Šuker served as HNS president for nine years until 2021, a period during which the national team reached the 2018 World Cup final.
What does Šuker say about the Croatian model?
Davor Šuker directly told Hong Kong it should "be more like Croatia". He highlighted how Croatia's football journey, despite a population of just over four million, has yielded one World Cup final and two semi-finals in the past 28 years. He was a star of that success himself, leading Croatia to the 1998 World Cup semi-finals. With his experience, he now aims to share the secrets of that success with Hong Kong, whose national team is currently ranked 156th in the world and remains far from World Cup qualification, even if it expands to 64 teams.
What is Šuker's connection to Hong Kong?
During his tenure at the HNS, Šuker grew friendly with leading football figures in Hong Kong, former chairman Timothy Fok Tsun-ting and current chairman Eric Fok Kai-shan. It is this connection that facilitated his role as an advisor and ambassador. His visit coincided with the departure of the Hong Kong football association's technical director, John Morling, who held the role for two and a half years. Morling also pointed to Croatia's success, asking 'why can’t that be us?'
What is the current state of the Croatia team?
While Šuker speaks of past glories, Croatia is currently locked in a fierce battle to continue that legacy at the 2026 World Cup. After three matches in their qualifying group, the team sits in second place with six points. Their record is two wins and one loss, with the last result a 2-1 defeat to Portugal on July 2nd. Their recent form over the last five games shows two losses, two wins, and another loss (LLWWL). They have scored five goals but also conceded five, resulting in a goal difference of zero. Their next fixture is an away match against Czechia in September.
What's next for the Vatreni?
Although Davor Šuker's comments are aimed at helping others, the focus of Croatian football remains on its immediate challenges. The team will need to quickly recover from two consecutive losses and focus on the upcoming match against Czechia on September 26th. Any misstep in this phase of qualifying could jeopardize the World Cup qualification goal. Their current position on our standings page shows they are still in a good spot, but every future match is critical. The historic successes Šuker mentions have set a high bar, and the current generation must prove it can follow those steps.
