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Television sales up 400 percent, black market fireworks, sold out shirts – Croatia’s World Cup adventure

Written by  Jul 04, 2018

Croatia is living and breathing the beautiful game. It’s no secret that Croatians are sport mad and football holds a special place in their hearts. And with their success in the 2018 World Cup in Russia the mood in the country is effecting all different aspects of life.

Beer sales and snacks sales have gone through the roof since the tournament began with first estimates suggesting that sales went up by between 70 and 80 percent in June. And it is becoming increasing harder to find a TV to buy as the shops have seen a massive increase in the sale of large flat screen TVs. Since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup in Russia sales of televisions in Croatia have increased by a massive 400 percent, according to reports in the national media.

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Croatia celebrate victory over Denmark - Photo - Tom Dubravec / CROPIX

And after a victory the night sky is filled with fireworks, which is actually against the law as there fireworks can only be used at set periods throughout the year, and a spokesperson for a Croatian fireworks company suggested that people are using their stockpiles left over from the New Year. However, there are also reports that people are buying fireworks on the black market just to celebrate.

Buying a Croatian football shirt is near impossible as the whole country turns into red and white squares. The original Nike Croatian shirt is sold-out in the Nike shop in Zagreb, they only have a few children’s sizes and XXL shirts left. The original shirt, the famous red and white squares, costs 379 Kunas and the new “away” black dress costs 649 Kunas.

And now that Croatian have made it into the quarter finals where they will face the hosts Russia in Sochi more and more fans are trying different ways to get to the game. Of course the hosts will dominate the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, which holds just under 48,000 spectators, but around 6,000 Croatians are thought to have already purchased tickets.

From Zagreb to Sochi to Zagreb is 2660 kilometres, or around a 38-hour drive not including stops, and would cost around 2,000 Kuna in fuel and road tariffs. Travel agencies are selling special World Cup packages for around 7,000 Kuna, which include charter flights, breakfast, transfers, and return flights immediately after the game. But finding a ticket for the quarter finals could prove tricky. All the Croatian allotment have already been sold out but there are still tickets in the neutral zones as well as ticket agencies reselling tickets. Prices are reported to be up to 14,000 Kuna for a ticket.

The Voice of Dubrovnik

THE VOICE OF DUBROVNIK


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