Klara Klaric
Since 2011, when she left HAOK Mladost for Vollero, Switzerland, as a high school student at the Sports Gymnasium, Karla has changed the careers of nine clubs in five European countries. This season she is playing for the Hungarian team Fatum Nyiregyhaza, where she actually arrived in the half-season, as it is after the 2019/20 season. played also in Hungary, for Bekescabai, signed a contract for the Greek legendary club Olympiakos.
„I did not stay in Greece a long time, which on the one hand I am sorry because it is a big club, but the Covid season did its thing. Therefore, in the middle of the season, I returned to Hungary, to Fatum, which wanted me in its ranks last summer. So at the end of the season, it turned out great – Karla tells us after the evening training, the day after winning the Hungarian Cup. There is no discount with training, the season is coming to an end and we are still facing the finals of the championship, where we also want to win the title. We celebrated the evening after winning the Cup, it was nice, but the next day we turned to new tasks.
In Fatum, she says, she is doing great. – Great club, great coach, good work and I am really satisfied. The club has high ambitions, after the Cup to win the Championship and play in the Champions League next year. With or without you next year?
„It is not known yet, we have not started negotiations yet, although it will be our turn soon. I feel good in Hungary, it is a strong and quality league, maybe not as even as in France, for example, where everyone can win every one, but here there are four or five teams that stand out for their quality. Here, we beat Ujpest 3: 2 in the semifinals of the Cup, after leading us 2-0 in sets. In the final, we beat my former Bekescabai with 3: 0. I was the best scorer in the league there last year and left a good mark in this league. Well, everything is really great for me, except for the language, which I can’t master anywhere,“ Karla laughs.
This weekend, another strong match awaits her, against Vasas, which is dominated by Sanja Gamma, together with Emma Strunjak.
„They are an excellent team, we met them in the quarterfinals of the Cup, and now in the semifinals of the Championship. I hope that we will triumph this time as well.“
Two years ago, Hungary was one of the co-organizers of the European Championship, just as Croatia is now, in 2021. The Hungarians failed to pass the group in Budapest, but that didn’t seem to distract them too much from the path they had charted?
„The Hungarian league is getting stronger every year, they invest a lot, have a plan and persist in it so that even a weaker result than expected at the European Championship did not destabilize them. More and more good young players are appearing, we are working well with them, and the foreigners who play in this league also contribute to the overall improvement of the quality of volleyball. It is a great move that they were co-organizers of the EC, as well as the great job that we have now embraced. I believe that this year they could make a step forward compared to the last European Championship because the memories of that 2: 3 defeat by the Turks in Ankara are very fresh.“
This representative summer will be …
„Long and warm, I know, I know, but I’m also looking forward to it. We haven’t had a gathering for a long time because of the coronavirus, and I can’t wait to see our teammates, and start with the competitions that await us throughout the summer, from the European League, through the Challenger Cup to the European Championship,“ – sincerely rejoices Karla, who lives in Hungary on a “business-home-business” basis.
„In Hungary, a lockdown is in force, except for basic shops and pharmacies, everything is closed, we also have a curfew, so you really don’t go anywhere. But, she couldn’t even arrive, because she really trains a lot and with quality and that suits me very well. Especially since immediately after arriving from Greece, I needed some time to get back in shape. In general, I am now very satisfied with my games and I can’t wait for the national team to gather in May,“ – in the end, Karla Klarić, one of our most reliable national team players, will say.
