Mateša: "Proud of world-class Croatian football"

Approximately 150 international and 100 local coaches attend the 35. AEFCA Congress from Wednesday to Friday, with numerous prominent guest lecturers to share their knowledge and experience.

The AEFCA president Walter Gagg and HNS president Davor Šuker greeted the guests.

"Gathering of European coaching elite and prominent guest lecturers guarantees quality education of Croatian coaches, who attend in large numbers. Moreover, I have no doubts that our coaching experts have a lot to offer to all the guests at this meeting. We are proud at the work of our youth academy coaches, and the results of Croatian national teams in youth categories prove how much is being done in terms of youth development. It is the coaches that create contemporary football and it is your assignment to keep our sport attractive for both the fans and players to come", said Šuker.

Among the dignitaries were also Tomislav Paškvalin, a representative of Croatian Ministry of Sports, and Croatian Olympic Committee president Zlatko Mateša.

"This is a good opportunity to say how proud we are of world-class Croatian football. It is the coaches that stand behind great players, and they are the strength of this game. You have great responsibility in youth development", said Mateša.

HNS Technical Director Romeo Jozak presented the strategy of Croatian football development, while Croatian national team head coach Niko Kovač and his staff participated in discussions over the interesting events in 2014.

Ivan Kepčija and Dean Klafurić presented the Dinamo youth academy, while head coach Luka Pavlović presented the Croatian U-17 national team, along with pilot training sessions of Dinamo U-15 and Croatia.

Later in the afternoon, FIFA Technical Committee Gerard Houllier analysed the modern football trends.

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