Incident at the Croatian national team hotel in Alexandria: employee dismissed for revealing details from the contract
At Hotel AKA in Alexandria, where the Croatian national football team is staying during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an unpleasant incident occurred in connection with confidentiality rules. According to Sportske novosti, the hotel manager in charge of food and beverage was dismissed after revealing to journalists part of the Croatian Football Federation's requirements for the national team's stay. It was not a complete menu, a nutrition plan for the players or sporting information, but the detail that the HNS had requested the serving of two Croatian wines, one of which is mentioned as Plavac Mali. Although such a detail may not appear sensitive for sporting preparations at first glance, the case shows how strict the rules are in national team base camps during major competitions. According to the same source, the hotel has contractual obligations toward FIFA and the HNS, and employees may not disclose even seemingly secondary information connected with the team's stay.
The incident was recorded at the moment when the national team arrived in Alexandria, a city in the state of Virginia, not far from Washington. On June 10, 2026, the HNS announced that the Vatreni had flown from Zagreb, landed in Washington and then continued toward Hotel AKA, where they were welcomed by a larger number of fans. The arrival at the base camp marked the beginning of the final phase of preparations for appearing at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. According to official HNS information, the camp in Alexandria consists of Hotel AKA and the training center at Episcopal High School. That choice was confirmed back in January, after a months-long assessment of possible bases in North America.
Only a detail about the wines was revealed, but the rules were strict
According to the Sportske novosti report, the dismissed employee was the food and beverage manager at Hotel AKA, and his superiors fired him because, as stated, he violated the rules by disclosing confidential information. In a conversation with journalists, he allegedly revealed that the HNS had requested two Croatian wines during the national team's stay. One of them was Plavac Mali, while he could not remember the name of the other. The same outlet states that the interview was not signed with the employee's name, but that he could be identified, among other things because he said he had been to Croatia several times.
According to the available information, there is no separately published public confirmation from Hotel AKA or the HNS about the employment-related decision concerning the employee, so the information about the dismissal is for now based on the report of the Croatian media outlet that described the event from Alexandria. The article also emphasizes that it was not a matter of large quantities of wine nor of information that could affect the sporting part of preparations. Sportske novosti states that wine is consumed least by the players, and notes that head coach Zlatko Dalić does not drink. This further emphasizes that the problem was not in the content of the disclosed information itself, but in the fact that a detail from the hotel-national-team arrangement was disclosed at all.
Such confidentiality regimes are not unusual at major tournaments, especially when it comes to hotels where national teams, coaching staffs and accompanying delegations stay. Although contractual details between hotels, national federations and FIFA are generally not publicly available, the HNS already emphasized when choosing Alexandria that, along with the quality of the training center and accommodation, privacy, peace and logistical simplicity were important. It is precisely on such criteria that base camps at the World Cup are built, because national teams during the tournament try to reduce external disturbances and control the information that comes out of their environment. In that context, even the detail about the wines could have been treated as a breach of the rules, although it was not a sporting secret.
Alexandria was chosen after an extensive HNS review
In January, the Croatian Football Federation announced that Alexandria had been the first option for the national team's base camp. According to the HNS, more than 60 potential camps were analyzed before the draw, and after the match locations were known, the federation narrowed the selection and visited eight possible bases in the northeastern part of the United States and Canada. The delegation consisted of technical director Stipe Pletikosa, team manager Iva Olivari and spokesperson Tomislav Pacak, after which head coach Dalić and the coaching staff unanimously supported Alexandria. The HNS stated that the camp was the first of five options that each federation had to register for the tournament.
In the HNS's official announcement, Stipe Pletikosa pointed out that Alexandria offers the best combination of a training center, a comfortable hotel, proximity to the airport and a favorable geographical position in relation to the cities where Croatia plays its group matches. In the same announcement, Zlatko Dalić emphasized that the conditions in the training center, the quality of the hotel, the distance from the airport, privacy and the environment were important when choosing the camp. HNS president Marijan Kustić at the same time recalled that a World Cup held over such a large area brings a significant logistical challenge, but expressed confidence that the national team would have everything it needs in Alexandria. Those statements make it clear that the base was chosen as a combination of sporting, security and organizational conditions.
Hotel AKA Alexandria is located in the historic Old Town city center, near the Potomac River. According to the HNS, the hotel opened in April 2023, has 180 modernly furnished rooms and offers facilities important for the national team, including spaces for dining, meetings, relaxation and recreation. The federation states that the hotel is about a six-minute drive from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which is an important logistical detail in the rhythm of a tournament. Official information from Hotel AKA additionally describes the property as a peaceful urban destination designed by Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni. Such an accommodation profile corresponds to the requirements of national teams that need a secluded, functional and well-connected space during a major competition.
The training center at Episcopal High School is a key part of the base
The second part of Croatia's camp in Alexandria is the training center at Episcopal High School. According to the HNS, it is located about 15 minutes by car from Hotel AKA, and its sports facilities rank among the better ones in the region. In its official announcement, the federation stated that the center has a high-standard football pitch, fitness area, athletics track, cardiovascular equipment, a fully equipped gym and recovery areas. Among the regeneration facilities mentioned were hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, electrostimulation and ultrasound. Such elements are important for national teams because the schedule of travel, matches and training sessions at the World Cup leaves little room for improvisation.
Visit Alexandria, the local tourism organization, announced in February that the choice of the Croatian national team was the result of cooperation with the City of Alexandria and Episcopal High School. According to that announcement, Croatia will stay and train in Alexandria as its official base during its participation in the tournament. Mayor Alyia Gaskins said in the same announcement that the city was pleased with the arrival of the Croatian national team and that it relies on its strategic position in relation to matches on the U.S. East Coast and in Canada. Visit Alexandria also emphasized that in recent years the city had tried to strengthen its role in sports tourism, including earlier engagements connected with FIFA competitions.
For the national team, the base is not only a hotel and a pitch, but a temporary working environment in which nutrition, recovery, security, media activities and travel are coordinated. That is why even information that would look unimportant in other circumstances, such as hotel requirements or serving details, is treated cautiously in such arrangements. At major competitions, every federation tries to maintain control over information about the team's routine, the players' habits and the organization of the stay. The case from Hotel AKA is therefore more a warning about the strictness of protocols than a story about the choice of wine itself. It is interesting to the public precisely because it shows how narrow the line between a banal detail and confidential information can be at tournaments.
Croatia's matches additionally explain the choice of location
The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11 and lasts until July 19, and for the first time it is being held in three host countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. According to FIFA's schedule, it is the largest edition of the tournament so far, with 48 national teams and 104 matches in 16 cities. Croatia has been placed in Group L with England, Panama and Ghana. Such a schedule requires frequent travel, so the position of the base camp is one of the key organizational elements. Alexandria is located near Washington and Ronald Reagan Airport, and the HNS cited transport connectivity precisely as one of the advantages of the choice.
According to the schedule cited by FIFA and Visit Alexandria, Croatia plays its first group match on June 17 against England in Dallas. The second match is scheduled for June 23 against Panama in Toronto, and the third for June 27 against Ghana in Philadelphia. This means that during the group stage the national team travels between distant cities in the United States and Canada, while its base is located on the East Coast, between some of the key destinations. In its camp announcement, the HNS particularly emphasized that Alexandria's geographical position is important in relation to the cities where the matches are played. In practice, the base must enable quick departures for matches, a return to a familiar environment and continuity of training.
Croatia's arrival in Alexandria on June 10 took place one day before the official start of the tournament, which is a usual rhythm for national teams' final preparations. The HNS stated that the players were welcomed by fans and that Hotel AKA had become their home during the championship. In such an atmosphere, the incident with the hotel employee did not overshadow sporting preparations, but it did raise the question of how strictly everyday life in national team camps is regulated. For the HNS, according to earlier official announcements, peace in the camp was one of the conditions that proved decisive in the selection. That is why this case also fits into the broader picture of efforts to ensure that the team's stay takes place under clear rules.
The national team's nutrition remains under the supervision of the coaching staff
Footballers' nutrition at major competitions is part of a broader system of sporting preparation. The Sportske novosti report states that HNS chef Tomica Đukić is also with the national team, preparing food according to the players' habits and needs. The same outlet writes that this time the emphasis is on seafood specialties and lighter food, which fits the summer conditions and expected heat during the tournament in North America. Such information should be distinguished from the alleged disclosure of contractual hotel details, because the chef and coaching staff generally speak publicly about general principles of nutrition, but not about all logistical requirements of the stay. In this case, the disputed detail was information that, according to the report from Alexandria, came from a hotel employee and not from an official HNS communication channel.
The mention of Plavac Mali in this story has more symbolic than sporting significance. Plavac Mali is one of the best-known Croatian red grape varieties, strongly associated with Dalmatia, Pelješac and island vineyards. However, according to Sportske novosti, the wines were not intended for major consumption by the players, but were part of the broader hotel and national-team arrangement. For that reason, the incident cannot be interpreted as a question of the team's dietary discipline, but as a question of confidentiality and the host's internal rules. Precisely that difference is important for understanding why seemingly harmless information could have had serious consequences for the hotel employee.
Until the start of Croatia's competitive part, the national team's focus remains on preparing for the match against England on June 17. Dalić's staff in Alexandria has the conditions that the HNS previously described as optimal, while organizers in the city emphasize that the arrival of the Croatian national team is an important sporting and tourism event. The incident at Hotel AKA for now remains an isolated episode at the beginning of the stay, without publicly confirmed consequences for the team's training schedule, nutrition or logistics. According to the available information, there is no indication that anything of sporting significance for the national team was revealed. The case nevertheless shows that in the World Cup environment even the smallest details are treated as part of the team's protected space.
Sources:
- Sportske novosti / Jutarnji list – report from Alexandria on the dismissal of a hotel employee and claims about confidential information (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – announcement on the arrival of the Croatian national team at the base camp in Alexandria on June 10, 2026 (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – official announcement on the selection of Alexandria, Hotel AKA and Episcopal High School as the national team's base camp (link)
- Visit Alexandria – press release on Alexandria as the official base camp of the Croatian national team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup (link)
- FIFA – official schedule, matches and stadiums for the 2026 FIFA World Cup (link)
- Hotel AKA Alexandria – official description of the hotel, location and facilities in Alexandria (link)