Croatian War of Independence narrated trough the experiences of the players of the National Soccer Team who won the third place during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, in France. Their victory delivered joy to a war­torn population and it is the highest achievement of a post­Yugoslavian nation in soccer competitions.

Vatreni: A Flame Has Been Fired

The author of the film about the “coach of all coaches” and the celebrated coach of the ‘Vatreni’, who won bronze with Croatia at the World Cup in France in 1998, is Bosnian-Herzegovinian sports commentator Sabahudin Topalbećirević.  Those who feature in the film include former players Davor Šuker, Robert Jarni and Aljoša Asanović, but also Bosnian-Herzegovinian national team players Edin Džeko and Miralem Pjanić, as well as many others. The film begins with a look back at Ćiro’s childhood, reminiscing about the difficult days of growing up in Travnik during World War II, and some sad and tragic moments in his life, and then experiences a twist by highlighting his famous playing and coaching days on football fields in Switzerland, former Yugoslavia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ciro

In 1998 a band of brothers took Croatia to 3rd place at the FIFA World Cup. How they got there was even more astonishing, as the team and country navigated the brutal Yugoslav wars of the 1990's.