“I will be back for EHF EURO 2014”, says Vori

Croatia’s national team captain Igor Vori has dismissed speculation about his future in the national team, explaining that a statement published in a German newspaper earlier last week was misinterpreted.

Vori had been quoted that “the match against in London (at the 2012 Olympic Games) was my last Croatia”. The 32-year-old called the statement a “misinterpretation of what I said”.

Croatia won bronze at the London Games.

However, Vori, who plays for German club HSV Hamburg, confirmed that he will not be playing for Croatia at the 2013 World Championship in Spain in January.

“I am tired and my wish is to rest a little. I don’t retire from the national team. It’s fair to say to the headcoach (Slavko Goluža)  that I am not fit instead of coming and playing bad,” Vori told Croatian website vecernji.hr.

“He (Goluža) agreed with me, that I need a break. I will be back for the EHF EURO 2014 in Denmark.”

Great success with Croatia

Vori has been one of Croatia’s outstanding players in the past decade. He was part of the team that won gold at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and topped the podium at the 2003 World Championship.

He also won EHF EURO silver in 2008 and 2010 as well as World Championship silver in 2005 and 2009 and bronze at the EHF EURO 2012 in Serbia.

At the World Championship 2009 on home soil in Croatia he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

At the World Championship 2013 in Spain Croatia faces Spain, Algeria, Australia, Egypt and Hungary in Preliminary Group D.