CROATIA will use the historic university town of St Andrews as their base camp during EURO2020.
Zlatko Dalic's men will play two of their Group D matches at Hampden Park and face a trip to Wembley for their other game.
St Andrews is, of course, known the world over as the home of golf and the Croatia players and management team will doubtless be looking to sample the best that the region has to offer when they get some downtime.
Dalic and a delegation from the Croatian Football Federation, including president Davor Suker, visited several potential training bases in London and Scotland in December and opted for the Fife coastal town. Suker said Croatia's experiences in Russia, when the squad stayed in a woodland retreat near Leningrad and subsequently reached the World Cup finals, had influenced their decision to opt for the charming surroundings of St Andrews.
Real Madrid star Luka Modric and the rest of his team-mates will stay in the Fairmont St Andrews hotel and train at the university, where Barcelona and Manchester United have both trained during pre-season tours to Scotland.
"We wanted to provide the squad with the best possible conditions during EURO 2020. Therefore, we have selected St Andrews. In Russia, we learned how important it is to enjoy tranquillity, nature, and quality sports infrastructure - a hotel and a ground at the highest level. I am convinced that this is the best solution for our squad", said the HNS president Davor Šuker.
Fairmont has two championship courses of its own – the Torrance and the Kittocks – while world-famous courses the Old Course and Kingsbarns are a short drive away.
The news was welcomed by Zlatko Dalic, the Croatia head coach, who emphasised the importance of selecting the right training camp.
"Our decision was unanimous. I believe we can have excellent conditions here in Scotland, just as we had back in Russia. The base camp is an important factor, not just for practice sessions, but also to create team unity. This location provides brilliant foundations in that direction", said Dalić.
Croatia
Base camp: St Andrews, Scotland
Fixtures
Group D Glasgow and London
Round of 16 Dublin, Copenhagen, Bilbao, Glasgow or Budapest
Quarter-final Saint Petersburg, Munich, Rome or Baku
Semi-final and final London
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