Football season is upon us, and as the FIFA World Cup 2018 finals draw nearer, it’s time we appreciate a certain someone from one of the top contenders, Croatia.
No, I’m not referring to any of the players on the Croatian football team, although this lady is quite a team player, herself! Yes, I’m talking about the Croatian president, Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
Humble Behaviour During Matches
Croatia’s first woman president is known to be a huge football supporter, and has been widely appreciated for her unassuming and down-to-earth behaviour during matches.
During the round-16 match played by Croatia and Denmark, Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic was observed cheering enthusiastically in the stands like everyone else, eschewing the VIP lounge that is usually occupied by celebrities and political figures.
She also flew economy to Russia for Croatia’s match in the quarterfinals, and once again took her place in the stands. Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic wore a red T-shirt with Croatian symbols on it on both occasions in a show of support to her national team.
Why She Prefers The Stands To The VIP Lounge
Her reason for not using the VIP lounge is simple. Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic insists that she is a football fan like everybody else, and wants to wear a shirt with her country’s symbols on it while cheering for them, which goes against the VIP lounge dress code of formal wear.
Unpretentious And Warm
She also won hearts for having no qualms about going straight into the changing room and congratulating the team in person after their stupendous victory. This lady has none of the stiff upper lip that is usually accorded to politicians!
Cheekily Annoying The Russian PM!
Television footage showing her dancing with abandon as her team played superbly has also been widely appreciated. To make it even better, the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was visible looking on disapprovingly.
Read More: Watch: Did You Know Indian Football Team Once Qualified For Fifa Finals?
Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic has become one of the most widely searched-for people on the Internet due to her enthusiastic behaviour at matches, and some images in a bikini have emerged, claiming to be her…
…however, this was later clarified as an error- they are actually pictures of American model Coco Austin, wife of rapper Ice T. Austin bears an uncanny resemblance to the Croatian President, and Twitter users have joked about wanting to move to Croatia.
Kudos to Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic for her cool and down-to-earth attitude! Politicians around the world need to emulate her and show that being a politician doesn’t make you anything above the common man (or woman)!
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Hindu, Wikipedia, Mirror UK
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