Vjekoslav Kobešćak revealed what it's like to referee amateur water polo on Dubrovnik's beaches, and ahead of the new season, he announced major transfers for Jug Adriatic Osiguranje, three Hungarian national team players and a young German talent are on their way.
The Dubrovnik beach water polo championship, the renowned Wild League, enters its quarterfinal stage on Monday. For Dubrovnik and its region, this competition is on par with the Olympic Games, and its appeal has been recognized worldwide, about 20 years ago, Lufthansa featured a report on the Wild League on its transatlantic flights for six months.
Only Dubrovnik natives, either born there or with residency in the area of the former Dubrovnik municipality, are eligible to participate, which gives this amateur competition a special local intensity. This season, the refereeing duties have been taken on by Maro Joković, Andro Bušlje, Paulo Obradović, and Elvis Fatović, while among the coaches, Loren Fatović, Ivan and Antonio Vukojević, and Hrvoje Benić have been spotted.
However, special attention was drawn by Vjekoslav Kobešćak, the most decorated coach in the history of Jug Adriatic Osiguranje, who, after a stellar playing career and a brilliant coaching career, has now made his debut in the refereeing world.
On Saturday evening, a day before traveling to France, Kobešćak described to Sportske Novosti what it's like to referee in the Wild League. "The feeling is... specific. And I'm not sure I'll do it again, ha, ha," he said with a laugh.
Although the game is played in the sea and the referee is on a small boat, the emotions are thoroughly professional. "Listen, sport carries that emotion, and all sorts of things come out of people. In that hour, all friendships, all respect, everything is forgotten, ha, ha," he added.
He also explained that respect for referees lasts only until the start of the match. "Everything is fine until the game starts, but in the first minute, everything you've built is forgotten. Respect exists before and after the match, but during... Listen, when people run out of oxygen, fighting for the ball and for their lives. Well, just like in professional sports, for God's sake. That's when people get distorted, both on the field and in the stands," Kobešćak recounted.
Despite the challenges, he considers the Wild League a noble competition. "Hats off to all those people who decide to take part in the Wild League because it's a noble competition. The purpose is camaraderie, but in sports, everyone wants to win," he concluded.
After flying to Paris on Sunday, where he will lead the French national team at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Kobešćak also spoke about the transfer window at his home club. Jug's preparations begin on August 24, and the roster has undergone significant changes.
"This transfer window in water polo is actually very unusual. Almost all teams have completed their business, both departures and arrivals, before the end of the season," he explained. "We entered the market in the last 7 days of last season and did everything in two weeks."
Five players have left the club: long-time captain and goalkeeper Toni Popadić (after 9 seasons, he moved to Jadran), Ante Jerković and Petar Kulaš (went to study in the USA), Toni Mozara (returned to KPK Korčula), and center Bogdan Djerkovic.
Thanks to the "Hungarian connection", his friendship with Hungarian national coach Zsolt Varga and Ferencvaros coach Balazs Nyeki, three national team players have arrived in Dubrovnik. David Tatrai (23) is described as a player with great potential, Gergely Burian (28) is a left-hander who won the Champions League with Barceloneta, and Erik Molnar arrives on loan from Ferencvaros and will be ready in September after recovering from a back injury.
The fourth foreigner is Vukašin Simić, a 20-year-old German of Serbian descent from Duisburg, who sources in Germany claim is the biggest talent in their water polo. Given that Jug now has four foreigners, one more than allowed in Croatia, Kobešćak admits he will have to rotate.
"I think we'll have a competitive, better team, hopefully better than last season when we not only failed to win any trophies but didn't even reach a single final. That clearly doesn't satisfy us, and with this, I hope we return to trophy-winning seasons," he stated.
