All About The Rock The two Gascon organic farmers The Inspector Cluzo announce their soberly called “Less Is More” 10th album release date as the 6th June 2025 The band also announce themselves as support to Clutch on the bands forthcoming USA tour TIC will now  be touring throughout 2025 with details of announced dates below… «LESS IS MORE TOUR » EUROPEAN & US/CAN TOUR  08/07 Dallas (US-TE) « Ferris Wheelers » (+Tyler bryant)  09/10/25 Brussels (Belgium) « Rotonde/Botanique » 30/10 Belfast (Northern Ireland) « Limelight 2 » 06/11 Bordeaux (France) « Salle du Grand Parc » 12/11 Mulhouse (France) « Le Noumatrouff » 21/11 Lausanne (Switzerland) « Les Docks » 22/11 Clermont-Ferrand (France)  « La Coopérative de Mai » 27/11 Marseille (France)  « Espace Julien » 28/11 Montpellier (France)  « Le Rockstore » 13/12 Lisbonna (Portugal) «  Republica dal Musica » 28/01/26 Paris (France)  « La Maroquinerie » was once again recorded with Vance Powell (The White Stripes The album was recorded completely live in four days and mixed in three Powell succeeded in catching the band tracksless no-playback organic live energy which has made the band such a live tour de force Echoing their  work as organic farmers  the band are intending to show that all TIC performances are played live by using the stamp below – utilising a sign they hope to be adopted by musicians and bands worldwide The Inspector Cluzo really is a truly organic live beast The concept of the album and all lyrics is inspired by Henry David Thoreau and Guy Debord Henry David Thoreau was a 19th century American naturalist and philosopher – a leading transcendentalist known for his book “Walden” (one of the first ever ecologists and post growth theorists the book is about his own experience living in solitude in a cabin in a forest for two years) and writer of “Civil Disobedience” (an argument in favour of citizen disobedience against an unjust state – a book that guided and informed both Martin Luther King and Gandhi) Guy Debord was a famous  20th century French philosopher best known for his 1967 essay “The Society Of the Spectacle” Debord was deeply distressed by the hegemony of governments and media over everyday life through mass production that was prophetic about the world we’re living in nowadays “In a world which really is topsy-turvy the true is a moment of the false.”  The album deals with the bands very real concerns about Post-Growing that they apply at their organic Farm and also in the music business economy .Self-financed at 100% refusing to sign with any major or any hedge funds for touring They mirror these farming principle’s in their dealings in the music business – such as making efforts to balance their carbon footprint The Inspector Cluzo’s 10th LP- «LESS IS MORE »  Will Be Released on the 6th June 2025 via F.The Bass player records/Virgin UK International You must be logged in to post a comment This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive others criticize the environmental impact of the large energy consumption but one thing is true: there is a great deal of effort from these home owners in bringing some light and joy to their neighbours and visitors Here are a few highlights in and around Luxembourg: A local initiative by the commune of Koerich (Kaerch) where residents of the commune illuminate their windows and show them to the public A lovely idea to get everyone in the holiday spirit More information here! FranceApproximately 1h from LuxembourgUntil 31 December 2024 The main theme of this illuminated house is The Grinch The lights and decorations create a magical ambience and lots of novelties have been added this year Grinch as well as the traditional visit of Santa Claus himself For details and to stay up to date, visit their Facebook page The owners decorate for Halloween and Christmas so you will be able to see the festive decoration in all its glory You could also combine the visit with a trip to the Christmas market and the Santa Claus Village in Sierck-les-Bains For the illuminated house, you can find the details on their facebook page This illuminated house is located in Berschweiler in Germany the owners shared some magical photos and a reel on their facebook page The house also hosts the Grinch, and there will be food inside - please check the Facebook page for information Approximately 45min to 1h away from Luxembourg This illuminated house is quite close to Luxembourg and it might be one of the only places where you will see a singing snowman The "snowman" also has a Facebook page where he shares his passion for lights Check out their Facebook page It will be illuminated until 5 January 2025 daily from 5.30pm to 11.30pm and will stay on all day long for Saint Nicholas Day on 6 December More info on their Facebook. TravelMatKanner wishes you a happy holiday season filled with joy and many nice moments and discoveries alongside your family and friends If you would like to give to a specific research program or support the work of a particular researcher the database maps the expression of the body’s 20,000 genes in 54 different blood cell types Institute scientist Dr Carolyn de Graaf led a team of researchers who developed Haemopaedia, which is supported by a web portal called Haemosphere This new online platform allows users to access analyse and cross-reference their research data and is freely available to the public as well as the scientific community “Our blood cells hold critical clues about our bodies in health and in disease,” Dr de Graaf said “This resource will help scientists across the world to discover patterns of gene expression that show how particular cells may be targeted by drugs.” “Having a set of easy-to-use online tools aimed at a diverse range of researchers in the field adds enormous value to the resource.” The research has just been published in Stem Cell Reports The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is the research powerhouse of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre an alliance of leading Victorian hospitals and research centres committed to controlling cancer Ebru YamanMedia and Publications ManagerM: 0428 034 089E: ebru.yaman@wehi.edu.au Your support will help WEHI’s researchers make discoveries and find treatments to ensure healthier Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the traditional owners of the land where our campuses are located and recognise their continuing connection to Country and community WEHI is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where people with diverse identities can flourish in a safe and supportive environment By using this website, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms of use On Saturday, it became Denmark’s song for Eurovision 2018 But now it has emerged that “Higher Ground” was originally submitted to Sweden’s Melodifestivalen — and rejected According to a message posted on YouTube by Joakim Jarny “Higher Ground” was submitted to Melodifestivalen 2018 with up-and-coming singer Dennis Bengtsson on vocals the track was passed over by the Swedes and the team behind the song decided to try their luck elsewhere and entered the song into Dansk Melodi Grand Prix so Dennis was dropped and replaced by Rasmussen Joakim doesn’t seem best pleased with the result insisting that Dennis was a better fit for the Viking-style number he offers Rasmussen his “congratz” The message accompanies an instrumental demo of the track another version was initially uploaded but was pulled due to legal issues Joakim concludes by saying that he hopes to see Dennis at next year’s Melfest He says nothing on his hopes for “Higher Ground” at Eurovision The song was written by Niclas Arn and Karl Eurén Joakim Jarny appears to be part of Dennis Bengtsson’s management team Had to remove the song.There was some angry people who threatened me with a high level of compensation All i wanted was show you you how great Dennis is as a singer I came to the producers with the arrangement with Dennis as the Viking They started to work with the backgrund and lyrics and after 2 weeks we did put Dennis in the Studio He had 1 hours to learn the lyrics and melody Then Niclas and Karl made a quick recording We got this song for the new Swedish artist Dennis Bengtsson for Melodifesivalen 2018 Since Melodifestivalen said no thanks to the song The song was admitted but unfortunately there had to be a Danish artist who performed the song It became the Danish artist Rasmussen who performed the song Yesterday the 10/2 did Rasmussen won Grand Prix in Denmark We are happy for that but i think that the song did fit Dennis a bit better But here you get the song with Dennis song we hope Dennis will take a spot in the Melodifestivalen 2019 Melodifestivalen is often considered the pinnacle of national finals being rejected by the show’s organisers isn’t always necessarily a bad thing Chanée & N’Evergreen famously won DMGP with “In A Moment Like This” The song ultimately placed fourth at Eurovision while the actual Melodifestivalen winner “This Is My Life” failed to qualify Padraig contributed this report from Ireland. Follow him on Twitter at @JustPadraig. And while you're at it, like our Facebook page to stay up-to-date with the latest Eurovision news and gossip Why would Jarny make his own artist look like a whining bad loser and put it out there that he was rejected the Swedish guy is a professional bodybuilder and Tvis SAS his først attempt at a professional recording the Danish guy is a professional Singer and has ben for ten years or so So Bengtsson did make a demo With his interpretation of the song and melfest jury didn´t like it much with more work and practize he could be great (less autotune would help) but why tell everyone his demo (his… Read more » should her a new manager asap because after this No professional Will ever work with Joakim Jarny again This is clearly his personal revenge on the songwriters because his singer was rejected and the writers found another artist to perform it Karby even try to Sound like her was co-writing and co-prodiucing the song Actually the Swedish version wasn’t very good: too slow I can actually understand why it was rejected I Think Rasmussen made it a Better song although not my favorite Nor my kind of music I also think the guy behind the video (manager og the other singer) is just trying to harm the songwriters Now he seems to be mad that Rasmussen won and claims Daniel would be better… Just calm down and be happy that your song achieved success This 100% than most Melfest songs this year I would love if this placed higher than sweden This isn’t great but it’s fine- for what it’s worth in terms of a complete package it’s probably Denmark’s best entry of the last 5 years since Only Teardrops (granted it’s far short of that masterpiece) but after a mildly annoying attempt at Bruno Mars that was more of a cheap imitation a childish kids show theme and a backing track that existed purely as a showcase for vocals (granted I feel like it’s a good song- and hey with RTP going full out with the sea theme having at least one… Read more » awful song and Denmark wont qualify with it Like we haven’t had these type of songs in MF I can see both Nordman or even Roger Pontare performing this song 10-15 years ago we also had “Miracle” (Samra) back in 2016 and we did pretty well 😀 So it doesn’t mean that Denmark won’t do well bcuz it’s a Melfest reject but I think that Dennis’ version sounds way much better and he looks better too Bit off topic – Rasmussen is the first redhead on ESC ’18 but hopefully not the last (*cough* Madara They have a general/dictator/Bjorkman and a lot of money invested People who don’t like this are just not viking enough It was not thick to throw a shade on this song But telling it is a Melfest reject may influence people in a negative way They never say they go for Sweden’s rejects and they do quite well This song is good but the main vocal is missing something in his voice to really capture the Viking spirit It was kinda obvious that this was not a song made for this vocal but the looks of Rasmussen can help him more then his voice last 2 years they got top 5 finish for 2 very generic pop songs with plastic manekens and a teenage boy and they had no business in top 10 let alone top 5 I’m not hating on the Swedes but this year they have the same generic pop trash… Read more » there is a reason why melodifestivalen rejected it : it sucks 2010 Melfest reject did better than 2010 Melfest winner Especially after what I heard so far from them But who knows – maybe semifinals 3 and 4 will have awesome songs and maybe Higher Ground would end up only 3th or 4th like Jon Henrik Fjällgren’s song last year Although it seems a bit unfair and insulting for the guy to be like “oh congratulations – I wish you weren’t singing it” I get that he had his own idea of how the song should be presented but it didn’t work out and he should be supporting it as it is… Read more » but speaking of entrants from Scandinavian countries Siru has a new single called “The Light” Wasn’t “In a Moment Like This” (which represented Denmark in 2010) also a Melodifestivalen reject “This Is My Life” became Sweden’s first and only non-qualification (which wasn’t deserved in my opinion) I wish the EBU would introduce a nationality rule when it comes to the competing songwriters (and singers too) It would be more interesting if the songs were written by people from the countries they’re representing I guess San Marino would get to be an exception but the only foreigners that they allow are Italians Just goes to show how precious and rare good The fact that songs are being shipped around various Eurovision countries and singers says it all ‘Higher Ground’ bores me to death This song is not at same level their former entries this song is an ok song if sent by Czech Rep or Macedonia That’s why I love it when singers write/compose their own songs but unfortunately ‘Tu Cancion’ isn’t reaching me at all and I can understand Spanish but it’s a totally different story with Italy’s entry for example that gives me chills down the spine each time I listen to it These things do happen when your selection process has hundreds of songs which are reportedly being sung in a row and cut within the first minute unless you’ve heard the whole song with your undivided attention at least once I get why these selection processes are so frentic (simply too much songs to process) Higher Ground is better than anything seen on Melfest thus far since that Joakim dude seems to be Dennis’ MANAGER That’s what I conclude from looking through the comments under the YouTube video but still not good enough for Melodifestivalen The new version is just horrible in all aspects Albin Fredy is Swedish though and was allowed to take part in DMGP so I don’t know why they needed a Dane to sing the song though Every time i see a G:son song in another national final I assume it’s been rejected by Melfest I’m always amused when certain countries announce their songs at the very last minute and are often Swedish compositions that you know had been rejected by SVT Those songs always get passed around between countries it’s better than every melfest song so far… (To this Little annoying idiot called Mark: Don’t even dare to respond to my comment.) Well this mark idiot never respects anyone else’s comments Agreed – I would place it near to Kamferdrops but she is not even in the competition anymore sooo… I hope Dotter will be great cause if Sweden sends a horrible song again I don’t want to see them anywhere near the final Dotter’s song is apparently Issues by Julia Michaels 2.0 The Swedes had every right to reject this song So a Swede wrote a song for Denmark about a Norweigan martyr ‘freeze the air or win the air’ -_- I haven’t heard nothing great from Melfest so far every Melfest song so far has been worse than this song (I guess “worse” isn’t the word because this song is good but Melfest so far has been way too bland and mediocre) That is why I have not watched any of the heats this year but not much of anything – kind of like every song at Melfest this year Melfest said no to this but went with “Patrick Swayze” Sweden might end up with something weaker than “Higher Ground” as their winner at this rate Every song in Melfest is better than this song Haha my laughing smiley was replaced by a questionmark Why would you admit that this song was rejected from Melodifestivalen >_> Plenty of people are salty about the selection process for MelFest At least it isn’t O melodie pentru Europa reject accepted into Melodifestivalen… Since the process is so secretive and the songs are of “high caliber” by most standards there’s always a feeling plenty of good songs fall by the waistside I don’t think this song is all that special but the Viking element makes it unique The jury listened to the song without the benefit of knowing the Viking theme I’m sure Dennis not being a huge star contributed to it then not being added by the producers If he wasn’t pleased about Rasmussen singing the song he could’ve just not submitted it to DMGP and dedicated himself to promote Dennis through other avenues At least pretend to be happy about the guy who gave your song the win He’s just mad because I’m sure he has the thought of “wow i cant believe the song won in denmark imagine if dennis sang it in melodifestivalen he is just the manager of the reject guy who auditioned for it and got rejected Now he is trying to put the song and songwriters in a bad light This song is better than all the songs in the first two heats I know other songs this season have been disqualified for being entered in other national finals but this one never made it through the early stages of Melfest anyway Being submitted to more NFs before is against the rules in some of them (Moldova) Overview Meet the team Press Write for us Input your search keywords and press Enter Early in the first period, Domi delivered a hard open-ice hit on Florida's Carter Verhaeghe Verhaeghe's teammate Nate Schmidt stepped in confronting Domi and dropping the gloves mid-ice landing multiple clean shots before the officials separated them with the Leafs forward earning a clear victory — and a trip to the penalty box “Nothing was really said, but I figured it's a big hit on one of their big players, so I wasn't sure it would end up coming, but I just kind of reacted,” Domi said "It's part of the game. I think I might have caught him a little bit on the way down but it definitely wasn't my intention With the Leafs trailing 3-1 in the third period, Domi took a feed from Calle Jarnkrok off a Panthers line change and beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a quick shot “Great play by Jarny,” Domi said so sometimes you just gotta throw it on net and get lucky with it.” Domi, playing in the first year of a four-year, $15 million contract He finished Thursday's loss with 15:23 of ice time over 23 shifts while he notched his fifth goal of the season Toronto Maple Leafs center Max Domi (11) fights with Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) The forward fell just an assist short of pulling off the Gordie Howe Hat-Trick — scoring scored a goal,” head coach Craig Berube said “He was skating and working.” he had a great game,” William Nylander said The 3-2 loss extended Florida’s lead over Toronto in the Atlantic Division to four points Už v nedeľu je na pláne úvodný jarný zápas medzi FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce - Vráble a MFK Ružomberok Nazreli sme do kabíny prvoligistu od Žitavy vitaj opäť vo ViOne,tebe už hrať futbal inde nepristane,FC ViOn je tvoja domovina,na tvoj návrat dám si pohár vína.V očiach fanúšikov si cenný navrátilec,neponáhľaj kopačky zavesiť na klinec.Najskôr si hrával vpredu šírili slávu.Na ViOne si hral dlhé roky,vitaj doma milý Štoky.Na záver ti prajem pevné zdravie,futbal na ViOne nikdy nezahynie.srdcom vionista Vilo Matejov Tabuľka FL po odstúpení Myjavy:1. Žilina 17 14 2 1 52:11 44 (+14)2. Podbrezová 17 10 4 3 22:11 34 (+10)3. Slovan 17 10 2 5 28:18 32 (+2)4. Trnava 17 7 5 5 20:23 26 (-4)5. Ružomberok 16 6 4 6 30:26 22 (-5) 6. Trenčín 18 6 4 8 25:32 22 (+1)7 Prešov 17 2 7 8 10:29 13 (-11)V tabuľke chýba odložený zápas Michalovce - Ružomberok O odstúpení Myjavy sa toho už popísalo veľa ako tento počin ovplyvňuje regulárnosť súťaže Len päť z jedenástich tímov bude mať na konci sezóny vyrovnaný počet zápasov doma a vonku Tri mužstvá budú mať výhodu dvoch domácich duelov a tri kluby pre zmenu odohrajú vonku o dva zápasy viac Medzi nimi aj FC ViOn Zlaté Moravce - Vráble Počet zápasov doma a vonku na konci sezóny:Trnava Požitavská futbalová akadémia funguje už osem rokov založil ju futbalový klub FC ViOn spolu s mestami Zlaté Moravce a Vráble štyri žiacke družstvá účinkujú v prvej lige V tomto roku sa chystajú aj niektoré novinky ktoré práve začalo tréningový proces a od novej sezóny ho plánujeme prihlásiť do druhej ligy Tím budú tvoriť väčšinou dievčatá vo veku 15-17 rokov ale šancu má každá záujemkyňa,“ hovorí športový riaditeľ mládeže Jozef Novota V máji by sa mal v Zlatých Moravciach uskutočniť turnaj pre prvý stupeň základných škôl. „V týchto dňoch oslovujeme všetky základné školy nielen z mesta a okresu, ale aj zo širšieho okolia. Najšikovnejšie deti z tohto turnaja dostanú za odmenu možnosť vyvádzať na zápase áčka so Žilinou a pre všetky deti zorganizujeme aj akciu na medzinárodný deň detí,“ dodal Novota. Manažér mládeže: Michal Zölder.Športový riaditeľ mládeže: Jozef Novota.Tréneri: U19: Miroslav Mihálik; U17: Ľuboš Rumanko; U15: Miroslav Broniš; U14: Vladimír Viola; U13: Marcel Petrík; U12: Ján Barát; U11: Rastislav Domaniský; U11: Roman Zima; U10: Pavel Danko, Peter Mjuller; U9: Juraj Šabík, Mário Mjuller; U8: Karol Karlík; Ženy: Rastislav Domaniský. Hrtús, Kolník, Pupák a M. Štefanka hodnotia striebornú sezónu. F-16, stan víťazstva, Kali aj poľná kaplnka. Chrenko a spol. môžu klubu zarobiť státisíce. Basketbalový nováčik Nitra Blue Wings zostal tesne pred bránami finále. Na futbale v Topoľčanoch bola historická návšteva. and now he has ones drawn on by his kid's markers Cedric Doumbe is probably the most well-known contestant on The Circle France, as he's a Cameroonian-French kickboxing champion who's won over 73 matches. You can check out the various fight clips on his Instagram The Circle France's Catala appears to be a French model based on her Instagram posts. She's also likely of Moroccan descent, and recently she posted a video of belly-dancing in pajamas to pass the time during quarantine into hoping they'll tell him if he wins €100,000) Based on Maxime's Instagram, he seems determined to be the ultimate wife guy, as almost every photo is of him and his wife Valeria (who he calls "my princess"). Interestingly, Valeria's Instagram mentions she's "in the game" with Maxime Or Valeria is also on the show without Maxime realizing it Lou is definitely a professional model, and she appears to be repped by the Hourra, DMG Paris, and SC modeling agencies. She also has an adorable malinois puppy João only has five Instagram posts The only thing we really know about him is that he definitely has a twin brother and based on the trailers it appears both of them will be in the apartment If they play as a duo or pretend to be one person In a video with Oh! My Mag, Chico Paolo describes himself as an actor, student, and model. When he's not modeling, he seems to advocate a lot for climate change legislation According to the trailers, Josette will be the only The Circle France contestant who's not a millennial or younger. It appears she'll be in the apartment with a friend or relative, and they're both a bit clueless (understandably) about the technology. Josette's Instagram shows she loves lounging on the beach and drinking wine so she's pretty much already my favorite contestant This article was originally published on April 9 The Yugoslavian team of the late eighties and early nineties were a presence in the international competitions of that time Drawing upon players from a vast pool of cities the team made headlines when they qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy Not much was expected of them since they had missed the 1986 edition but the team shocked the world by making it to the quarter-finals led at the time by Real Madrid’s Emilio Butragueno and featuring players such as Michel 🧿 También estaban en la plantilla Suker, Prosinecki, Jarni, Boksic, etc. Los yugoslavos cayeron eliminados en cuartos ante Argentina, en los penaltis. pic.twitter.com/3j1CM1Ec9F — Fútbol Carroza (@futbolcarroza) July 10, 2020 they lost to Argentina on penalties but a blueprint had been laid for future teams to follow that would be the last tournament that would see this nation as the beginning of the Yugoslav wars the country would be broken up into various independent nations One of those nations had supplied some of the most talented players for the 1990 squad and became the footballing powerhouse of the Balkans in the years to come Croatia was one of the countries that got independence but it was marred by wars and violence during the years of its War of Independence which lasted till 1995 With the recognition given to the newly formed country by FIFA and UEFA the Croatian national team was able to take part in Euro 1996 Several players who had played in the 1990 World Cup would join this squad including some of the finest footballers to come out of Croatia They included national hero and all-time leading goal scorer Davor Suker midfielders Robert Jarni and Robert Prosinecki all of whom would go on to play critical roles in 1996 They were joined by other star names like Zvonimir Boban Igor Stimac and managed by Miroslav Blazevic 20 years ago Croatia made its debut #Euro appearance. What is that 1996 squad doing today https://t.co/RrfwnSuH8q pic.twitter.com/xMJgdqdya0 — Croatia Week (@CroatiaWeek) May 14, 2016 Stimac and Suker also played for the Yugoslavia U-20 football team who were winners of the FIFA World Youth Championships in 1987 Thus this generation of players were a tight-knit unit spurred on by national fervour despite the fact that all of whom would have significant club careers in Europe Their performances in 1996 would firmly establish Croatia as a major footballing nation before even bigger honours followed They reached the quarter-final of the competition in 1996, falling to Germany 2-1. The tournament in Croatia is most fondly remembered for Suker’s astonishing chipped lob over Danish legend Peter Schmeichel in their second group stage game That goal ensured the thumping of the defending champions by 3-0 Taking heart from this run and keeping the same core of players they qualified for the 1998 World Cup where Croatia would really come into its own described in his homeland as the “manager of all managers” knew his players very well and played a 3-3-2-1-1 with AC Milan star Boban just behind Suker The Real Madrid man would end up as the Golden Boot winner while his team made it all the way to the semi-final before falling to eventual champions France Suker would also pick up the Silver Ball as well as finish second in the Balon D’Or rankings that year Jarny and Prosnecki were the skilful playmakers who were tasked with running their opponents into the ground This became a hallmark of the footballing culture in Croatia where their players would always be at the peak of their physical powers when competing on the biggest stages The team’s exploits in 1998 united a country that was still in the process of healing after brutal times and establish football as the common denominator that would serve as the unifying bond for years to come Another effect of this team would be that Croatia would become the most successful nation of the former Yugoslavia appearing in four Euros and World Cups each since 1998 The first golden generation played a much more important role off the pitch than on it- they were instrumental in bridging gaps and giving people hope another crop of ‘golden generation’ would rise that would shock the world in an even more seismic manner Croatia’s run to the final of the 2018 World Cup was predicted by absolutely no one comparisons were made to the 1998 squad in terms of players’ club careers and individual accolades But to actually end up as one of the two best teams was a feat that few could have even dreamt of Their qualifying campaign had been a struggle After a string of poor results that endangered their chances He guided the team past a playoff against Greece which led to their being drawn with Nigeria which was the point where the world sat up and started to take notice With players like Luka Modric (Real Madrid) Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) along with a host of hardworking With their win over Argentina, they become the first team to advance out of group D. pic.twitter.com/PsBWlqmpRp — FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 21, 2018 Croatia would soon come to be the team that worked the hardest every second chance and not be satisfied till they feel they have been able to give their all on the pitch Having to see war and skirmishes during their growing years many of the team’s veterans knew that this would be their chance to show the better side of the country Croatia would survive two penalty shootouts against Denmark and Russia before shocking England 2-1 after extra-time to reach their first ever final Though they would eventually end up losing 4-1 They had built a fanbase that had been allowed to dream and dream himself a survivor of the Independence War which saw him live as a refugee in hotels year on end as well as losing his grandfather to rebels a nation saw a part of itself in the team that almost made it all the way He would win the Golden Ball for his efforts as well as the Balon D’ Or though the much larger impact was again the legacy they left on the pitch Croatian fans have a special pull with their national team especially with the fact of how the team’s performance takes the attention away from conflicts and combines a passion for the sport into national joy with numerous chants like “Za narod svoj” (For Our People) and “Bježite ljudi National musicians as well have written songs that are used by supporters in matches while another pervasive practice has been inscribing the origin city of fans into the flags that they bring for matches Scores of Croatian fans erupt in celebrations in Zagreb as the #Croatia Football team advanced to the 2018 #FIFAWorldCup Final, for the first time. Pictures: FIFA World Cup page. pic.twitter.com/uISmYptdsG — The New Indian Express (@NewIndianXpress) July 12, 2018 Even the team’s crest of the checkerboard known colloquially as ‘sahovnica’ is used to denote Croats since the Middle Ages as is evident across much of Eastern Europe there is also a big amount of ultras’ in the country with Bad Blue Boys (BBB) and Torcida which are for the two biggest clubs- Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split respectively The BBB were even instrumental in the nationalist fervour during the time of Independence throwing their weight behind the concept of a free nation of the Croats They are regulars at international matches and are widely known for their hooliganism Croatia has suffered from bans and fines from the sport’s governing bodies from time to time supremacist behaviour and setting off of flares leading to stoppages in play There have even been bouts of fan violence in the stands especially if they are playing Serbia which causes extra security to be deployed Croatian fans firmly see their football team as a proud symbol of their national identity as much as their independence in the 1990s they are spoken of in the same breath when recollecting the days of the young team that made headlines in their first World Cup to the 2018 group that inspired another generation Croatia have a chance to renew their rivalry with England whom they meet on June 13 for the teams’ first match in Group D These two teams have quite a bit of history between them aside from the 2018 World Cup The Croats had denied England their place at Euro 2008 a favour returned by the Three Lions for the 2010 World Cup including a 5-1 defeat of Croatia during qualifying they have met in the UEFA Nations League in 2018 as well with England responsible for relegating the Balkans to League B Their other fixtures in the group are against Scotland and fellow Balkan state With much of the team from 2018 set to return for the tournament there is no saying how deep Croatia can again expect the stadiums to be as noisy as ever cheering for their national icons