Former footballer and HNS secretary general Josip Čop sharply criticized Hajduk's play and dismissed fatigue excuses after the draw with Istra, stating that professionals who live off football must be ready to play every three to four days.
After Hajduk drew 2-2 at home against Istra, Josip Čop, a former player for Varaždin, Dinamo, Zagreb, Hajduk, and Sturm, as well as a former secretary general of the Croatian Football Federation and the Croatian Olympic Committee, spoke out. Čop did not hold back in his criticism of the Split club, nor of those who justify poor performances with player fatigue.
"I watched the match, and I was surprised by both the refereeing and Hajduk's performance again. I really expected that after a good showing in Vilnius, Lithuania, they would string together two fine performances in a row. But I wasn't the only one mistaken. Hajduk was lackluster, devoid of ideas, and without a head or tail for a good part of the match," Čop said for Dnevno.hr.
Čop admitted that Istra played a good match, but what concerns him more than the result itself is the way Hajduk's poor performances are being explained. "Istra played a fine match; as underdogs, they surprised Hajduk, especially in the second half. I won't go into how much they were wronged; everyone saw that. What worries me in the descriptions of Hajduk's play is something else," he emphasized.
He was particularly bothered by the fact that player fatigue is being cited as the reason for the drop in form. "I read that Hajduk is paying the price for player fatigue, and they compare Šotiček's performance against Žalgiris with this one against Istra. Because the difference was like night and day. Then they claim that players, including the one I mentioned, can't play in a Wednesday-Sunday rhythm. That it's too demanding for them. That's terrible; such conclusions are nonsensical," he stressed.
Čop believes that professional footballers have no excuse for such claims. "Yes! We're talking about professionals, people who earn huge money compared to the majority of the population; these are people who have all the time in the world to prepare their fitness, physical strength, for team coordination and improvement. And then we read that they can't play a match every three to four days," he said.
As an example from his own career, he cited the 1984 season. "And the season has just started; there were also preparations. When else should they be able to play every few days if not now? I remember my career, that 1984 season when Hajduk reached the semifinals of the UEFA Cup, won the Cup, and fell short in the league at the end. We played three matches from Sunday to Sunday, and it was completely normal for us. And today, it's supposedly some kind of excess," he recalled.
The former footballer didn't hold back in his final criticism either. "A player who can't handle such a pace isn't a player, but rather a recreational athlete. So, a professional who lives off football has a basic condition: to be ready for such a pace. That's how the whole world plays; he must too. A man who isn't capable of maintaining good physical condition for the obligations of the club that pays him isn't a professional. Anyone who can't handle it is actually unnecessary to the club. What fatigue? At the start of the season? That story doesn't hold up," he said.
In conclusion, he stated that poor performances are too often excused by fatigue instead of addressing the real problem. "When you have an alibi, you have everything. I think that's what's going on. But it's precisely in that matter of physical fitness and focus that the good are separated from the bad. Why isn't anyone saying that, instead of excusing poor performances with fatigue? Anyone who has played football at the highest level knows what I'm talking about," Čop concluded for Dnevno.hr.
