Where's there's smoke..........

1 week training camp in Sydney, 1 week training camp in Melbourne from ages 12-16. It's definitely a talent poaching scheme. 

If they can do it, and the kids are good enough, then good on them I say.  

FFA should respond by disavowing Sydney United entry to the NSD. Make it a condition entry that you develop players for the Australian NT rather than other nations.

Yeah imagine telling that to the club who has produced the most socceroos in history lol.

It's up to the individual in which country they choose, not the club. 

A positive outlook here for promising Jnr players and others put a negative spin to it - typical.

It must be nice having a national program that is willing to leave no rock unturned. 

Its simply betrayal to be hosting the Croatian development and NT coaches and exposing OUR junior talent to them. These kids are being developed IN Australia by so called Australian clubs, and should they be good enough should represent the Socceroos. Clearly cultivating relationships with Croatian FA is going to influence these kids, should they be good enough, to play for a country that isn’t their own. Are Sydney Utd not an Australian club? It would appear so.

Dunno what you think Australia's doing.
Half our team is Scottish, Soutters never even stepped foot in the country, Karacic can't speak a lick of english.

Thats a damn good question. they certainly arent treated as an Australian football club by the APL and FA.

Should the Aleague have the same restrictions imposed on it?.. I mean the APL have a franchise participating in their event series that is actually based in another country and confederation FFS?

However that clubs home ground and players are based in that country. If Sydney Utd want the same treatment they should move their operations, academies and stadium to Croatia, and probably change their name to Hrvatska 58 or something.

These academies also took place in America and Canada. With only a population of 3.9mill in croatia, but overall 9mill world wide, you can see why they would leave no rock unturned. 

Betrayal too who? FA? Lol
If Sydney United along with Melbourne knights want to explore opportunities and be in touch with their heritage then so be it. As I said it's up to the individual if they want to play for socceroos or croatia. 
Most croatians developed in Australia played for Australia only 3 opted for croatia.

As for Sydney United being an Australian club. I guess it's only when it suits you.

The burn is strong. 

 Betrayal to Australia.

Being in touch with their heritage is fine, hosting the Croatian national team and development coaches in Australia in what is clearly a talent identification program for the Croatian NT? Betrayal.

Most Croatians developed in Australia didn’t have the option to play for Croatia, as either Croatia was not recognised by FIFA at the time, or they were not actively on the radar of the Croatian FA before winning Socceroo caps. That seems all about to change as Croatian football will have a keen eye on anyone who showed promise during these camps and will likely try to integrate them into the Croatian youth set up. 

I’d be happy for Sydney United to be recognised as an Australian club if they weren’t proactively developing their players to represent the Croatian national team, and then rationalising it under the slithery pretext that its “up to the player”. On that basis I have to conclude that Sydnic United can no longer be considered an Australian club, and therefore should be barred from entry into the NSD. Perhaps Melbourne Knights too as I believe they did a similar thing recently.

I think this is the best policy moving forward as I believe it will flush out clubs that are deliberately undermining Australia’s football development while ostensibly claiming to represent Australian football. That means more than just having ‘Sydney’ in your name .

 

Well done Sydney United and Melbourne Knights (Yes they are going to Melbourne too), we need more of this, due to geography our football culture can be very insular.

In Europe the exchange of coaching ideas and learning is much easier and open, due to distances.

We need more of it, having National Coaches from, Netherlands, France, Italy, Croatia, Germany, Spain Greece, Serbia etc etc offers great learning experience and networks for players and coaches.

Hahahahahah Maybe thats the way forward for these old clubs? They move to Europe and then are granted entry to the Ponzi League in Australia? hahahahahahah

Hey can you let me know how the Croatian Football Association is able to convince some of these young players who DONT have any family ties to Croatia to represent them? I think old mate Arnie at the FA batcave may love to hear how we can do this overseas too.

Are we gonna pretend that most of, if not all of the kids, don't have ancestral ties to Croatia? I mean look the Sydnic 58 facebook page, they got all the kids wearing Croatia NT jerseys, they are not even trying to hide it. 

I wonder what would happen if FFA went to Zagreb and tried to poach young croatians over here... lol WW3?

Hahahahahahah maybe FA can START by going to Australian clubs first eh? hahahahahahah

Ummmmmm You do know that the kids attending received two (I think) Croatian jerseys along with other merch as part of their "package"?? Why would they hide it, they are rightly proud to host such a tremendous coach and have him look over the local setup????
I dont think anyone did any DNA testing on the kids participating or the parents that paid for the privilege but I can tell you that there are heaps of kids at most Croatian clubs that do not have a European background, let alone Slavic or even Croatian.  
Let it go mate, Lowy lied to you.. The "effniks" aren't coming to steal your jobs, your women and your Aleague....  This event was about the Croatian diaspora proudly showing off to their "mother" federation and more importantly receiving some guidance from a superior "source" to help develop our Aussie players.... Absolutely top notch work from hard working Aussie clubs.

Also, just remembered the "excitement" when a bunch of Aussies wanted to buy a Football League club in England and make it an "Aussie talent factory" hahahahahahahah

Oh well I can rest easy then. Glad to know Croatia FA made the trip down here to help invest and develop our Aussie players for the Aussie NT, and have no interest in poaching our players, even though 'talent identification' was part of the official marketing.  Phew... that was a close one.

We're not stupid mate. 

I dont think Croatia's 50's era MIGs would be much of a match for our F35s. :laugh:

No flies on you Roosty..... Keep fighting the good fight..... 

Maybe the women?

Roosty is...well he is what he is but ALSO can you TRULY claim that, among other things, this isn't about finding young Australians to keep an eye on for their national team?

Both those things can be true

Considering they just came third in a World Cup drawing ONLY from their 4 million domestic population I dont honestly think this was the intent. Sure the patriotism of some of these kids maybe leads them to Hrvatska in the future and maybe that was "back of mind" in coming down but, as Arthur says, it is pretty common overseas for these sort of "fact finding" missions in football. Ties in to a Croat national event and all and considering they did the same or similar in US or Canada I just see it as Croatian Football wanting to show appreciation to Croat communities world wide. Not everything is US vs THEM sometimes it really is a feel good story mate.