Former Croatia player Pokrivac dies in car crash

The Croatian Football Federation has confirmed that former Croatian international Nikola Pokrivac passed away in a car accident.

The 39-year-old midfielder won 15 international caps between 2008 and 2010 while playing for Dinamo Zagreb, AS Monaco, and RB Salzburg.

Pokrivac had to stop playing professional football after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015.

But he switched to NK Vojnic last summer and began playing for amateur teams in 2021.

When three NK Vojnic team members collided in Karlovac, central Croatia, on Friday evening, he was reported to be driving a vehicle with three of his teammates.

Another person, 42 years old, was reported to have been killed in Pokrivac’s car, and two other people who were in the vehicle also suffered serious injuries.

Marijan Kustic, president of the Croatian Football Federation, described Nikola as a great football player who lived until his final moments in the world and showed great courage by overcoming a terrible disease.

“This is a terrible loss for our football community, and the family is especially affected.”

Pokrivac competed against England twice in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup at Euro 2008, where Croatia advanced to the quarter-finals.

When we lose a young life in such a shocking and unimaginably sad time, Kustic said, “It is impossible to find words of comfort in this.”