Croatian football team's departure for China Cup delayed by bad weather

Bad weather in Istanbul forced the Croatian national football team to delay and reschedule its trip from Zagreb to Nanning, China where they are scheduled to play Chile on Jan. 11 in the four-nation China Cup.

Head coach Ante Cacic met with the players on Saturday in Zagreb. Most of them play for Croatian top league clubs and didn't have any chances to play for the national team that features football stars like Luka Modric of Real Madrid, Ivan Rakitic from Barcelona or Mario Mandzukic of Juventus Turin. However, they are all determent to show that Ante Cacic didn't make a mistake calling them under the flag.

The international airport in Istanbul has been closed due to bad weather. Croatian Football Federation office has been trying to find another way for the team to fly out from Zagreb on Saturday but all their efforts are in vain. Team's departure has been delayed until Sunday morning and rescheduled so the first stop will be Vienna but Croatian footballers will reach it by bus and from there fly to China.

"I have a full confidence in the players that will play at China Cup and our goal remains the same - to play to our best and wear national jersey with pride. The date is not the most convenient one, but I believe that we will show our strength to the people in the country that invests a lot in the football development," national head coach Ante Cacic said on Saturday in Zagreb.

Hearing what the players had to say about their trip to China it was obvious they share the same feelings as their boss.

"It's always a huge motivation for us to wear the national jersey. We will not go to China as tourists. We have high hopes and I believe that this team can win two matches in China and come back to Croatia with the Cup," right winger Mario Situm from Dinamo Zagreb said.

Croatia will play Chile on Wednesday in Nanning and the winner of that match will play against the winner of China vs. Iceland on Jan. 15 for the trophy. Endit