SPECIAL prayers were said by the priest in charge of the Croatian Catholic Mission in London yesterday in a peaceful interlude before battle commences in today’s vital Euro 2004 match between Croatia and England.
Immigrant Croatians are preparing for a full-blooded game in Lisbon. Father Drago Berisiche told his congregation at the Church of the Sacred Heart’s regular Sunday Mass: “Let this match be an example of kindness and good spirit.”
Whether he gets his way remains to be seen, as the 3,000-strong Croatian community in Britain — mostly in Ealing and Wimbledon — glue themselves to television sets in pubs and restaurants.
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“The community is a little bit divided because a lot have made their homes here,” he told The Times diplomatically. “I shall be happy if England play well.”
The biggest venue for Croatian fans will be the Cadogan Arms in Kings Road, Chelsea, where at least 60 have colonised the ballroom and its special TV screen.
Among chequered flags yesterday a small flock of Croatians gathered meanwhile at Spezo, the Italian restaurant in South Kensington (Croatian eating houses are as rare as Paul Scholes’s goals in Portugal). Marko Krznaric, president of the Croatian Students and Young Professionals Network, led a discussion of match prospects with friends over lunch at Spezo.
Mr Krznaric, 30, a research assistant at Imperial College, London, said: “I have no doubts about the quality of Croatian football. The team will be really fired up. But England are the favourites. About 60-40, I guess. If we lose, we will be good losers. But we’ll take it even better if we win.”
Were there concerns about the behaviour of English fans in Portugal and London? “I think that’s a matter for the FA,” he said. “But I don’t think there will be any problems between us or in England. If there are, there certainly won’t be any retaliation from Croatians.”
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“Relations are good and we shall all remain friends after the match,” said Maja Erceg, press attaché at the Croatian Embassy, “even though we’re going to win. We’ll all be glued to the television.”