Iva Olivari and Ivancica Sudac have served Croatia’s federation since before it joined FIFA. They have had, in different ways, the job of a lifetime.
SPLIT, Croatia — The way the international soccer calendar is set up, Luka Modric is usually with his second family on his birthday in September. And it is always the same: A cake is made at Croatia’s training base and Modric, in his typically bashful style, blows out the candles as his teammates serenade him.