Bilos has Finally Opened His Eyes

First you take Australia’s players and now this. Very weak Croatia. Very, very weak

[...] Croatia beats Argentina, steals its player. (Croatia blog) [...]

Posted from  United States

your comments are weak, that’s all. think before you post.

Posted from  Germany

You guys are uneducated little f***. How is Croatia stealing from Australia? Australia is stealing from Croatia.

Look at the player’s names for f** sake they’ll all Croatian. Just because people move to Australia and live there for 20 years or so doesn’t make them Australian. Same with Bilos, his origins are Croatian. The name is actually BiloŠ, which is very Croatian.

You guys need to learn your sh** before saying stupid bullsh**.

Posted from  United States

i think we should let the people decide themselves what they are. if an australian of croat origin considers himself or herself australian, who are you to contest that? same thing the other way round.

Posted from  Germany

Turns out he had a stronger allegiance to Argentina which is where he was born and where he has lived his whole life.

Posted from  United States

That is a good post Tomislav Chagall. I’m from Australia and very proud of the fact our futbol team is very multicultural. I don’t mind players choosing their motherland over their adopted country as long as they make it clear at a young age rather than using our programs and facilities then running off to play for Croatia…bloody Siminic!!!the other Aus Croats I respect their choice as they made it clear.

Posted from  Australia

Ronaldinho and Pierce both chat sh**. You play for the country you were born in or the very least spent a considerable amount of time in. Ronaldinho WTF. Very clear to me that this guy is some kind of nationalist. Pierce the player plays for the country he wants to play for and croatia hasnt exactly put a gun to his head adn told him to play.

Posted from  United Kingdom

First of all, I think Bilos should stay where he is. CRO does not need a guy who is coming to us now just because the Argentinean National Squad do not call him. All he is doing is trying to fatten his future paycheck by being able to say that he played on a WC team. CRO does not want you….stay home.

Second…I think our foreign content is filled by the newly Croated Jura da Silva. I’ll take a Brazillian sellout over an Argentenian one any day.

Posted from  Canada

This dicussion of players leaving to play for countries with which they have some association seems pointless. Yes players go everywhere for personal reasons, are there not players in the U.S., Germany, France, etc. playing every conceivable sport that have crossed borders even in international venues because oportunity and the almighty dollar, euro or yen dictate. Why stop at players how about coaches? In today’s international arena there will be these instances and more in the future. Is Bilos looking for a wider international platform and choosing Croatia as second choice? Sure, Croatia takes what is offered and uses it to field the best team it can. To single out Croatia as somehow “stealing ” players is so petty that it is laughable. As for moving to Croatia and then playing for the country that only shows the respect players have for its soccer tradition. If we will keep players in their own countries playing then get rid of players in the NBA, NHL, MLS, Olympics and every major sporting competition worldwide and see what is left .

Posted from  United States

I agree that cross border nationalism is a fact of sport and it will not go away. The reason that I have singled out Bilos is because of his ’sudden’ nationalisam. He has been angling to be on the Argentinean squad for some time now, even played for the youth team. But now, he sees that Argentina will not call him up and is trying to hedge his bets.
A player like this is not a team player. He may play well, but will defenitely be more concerned about his own performance that that of the collective team and therefore be more selfish on the pitch by not passing and hogging the glory to himself.

The other players on the team have always been dedicated to Croatia. Even though some of them have been born otside of the country (Germany, Australia). Eduardo da Slva is a unique case. He moved to Croatia 4 years ago, settled in his life there, got married, had a child and received his citizenship. I dunno, I’m on the fence about this one.

I agree he’s selfish no doubt, his dedication to Croatia’s bid has to be evaluated by the team’s coaching staff. It is also in his interest for the team to do well which would temper him.. Would I take him on before a true Croatian player?. No way, but then I’m not coaching. Is there a comparable Croatian player? Probably, but loyalty to player origins is a victim of today’s sports atmosphere and the national team leadership is as much to blame for courting an outsider as is Bilos for his calculating decision. There are plenty of talented players around to choose from. In the de Silva case I respect him as a player for dedicating himself to his adopted country and applying his talent to a small country’s cause. As for being on the fence I understand that fully and appreciate the candid comment. There is an ever blurring line between love of sport and country and the love of money and notoriety.

Posted from  United States

Fucking Croatian thieves. Grow your own players you hacks and leave the aussies and Argentinians alone.

Posted from  Australia

chris a you are a dumbass you obviously know nothing about trading players….

Posted from  Canada