Power struggles in the locker room are usually intense — filled with confrontation, harsh words, and even physical fights.
But Šuker didn't intend to handle it that way.
What he needed now was for the team to quickly return to a state of stability.
It had to be a lightning-fast takeover — a thunderstrike operation.
In fact, the situation wasn't that complicated.
To put it bluntly, Bilić had mostly become a "mascot" in the team.
The tactics were decided by Van Stayaak,And it was the players who executed those tactics.
As long as those two groups backed him, Šuker could easily seize power.
That was why Šuker dared to make this move in the first place.
He didn't have time to care about Van Stayaak's personal concerns or emotions.At this moment, the only thing that mattered — for both himself and the Croatian team — was the upcoming Euro semifinal.
So, Šuker sprang into action.
First, he called Boban and Davor Šuker.
Why them?
In case news of this power grab leaked out, he wanted these two veteran figures to step forward and support the national team.At the very least, he needed them to shield the team from backlash.
"No, no, no! Why does it have to come to this?! Hey, Šuker, maybe Bilić is just overthinking things. Let me talk to him!"
Davor Šuker was speaking in a hushed, tense voice from a cramped bathroom.
Everything had seemed to be going well — and now this?
He couldn't believe it.
Šuker and the national team players were going to overthrow Coach Bilić.
This was huge.
"Davor, I'm sorry. But I'm just letting you know — even without your approval, we're doing this.We don't have time left. You need to decide: are you with Bilić, or us?"
Šuker's tone was unusually forceful.
Davor started sweating.
He had always known that Šuker was like a wolf cub — ambitious, sharp-eyed, hungry.
Now, this cub had grown into a full-fledged alpha wolf — a pack leader.
In the bathroom, Davor paced anxiously.
He tried to persuade Šuker to reconsider — to stabilize the situation.
But Šuker hung up decisively.
As he said — this wasn't a discussion.
It was a notification.
"Šuker! Šuker?! SUKER?! F**K!!"
Davor slammed his hand against the wall and roared in frustration.
His mind was a tangled mess.
He rushed out of the bathroom, went back to his room, and shouted to the journalists waiting outside:
"Sorry, today's filming and interviews are all canceled. I have urgent matters to attend to."
With that, Davor Šuker hurriedly left.
He stepped out of the hotel and jumped into a cab.
"To the central plaza!"
He had to reach the Croatian national team's hotel immediately.
He felt uneasy — deeply uneasy.
On the way, he called his agent and his associate Mamić.
"You got the notification too?" Davor asked in surprise.
"Zorancic called me," Mamić replied."He asked me to publicly support the national team if needed."
Davor's lips parted slightly.
So Šuker was dead serious.
He had almost mobilized all his personal connections and begun laying the groundwork, minimizing external damage.
Davor called Bešić next.
Even Bešić's voice was tinged with resignation.
"I've gotten a bunch of calls. Šuker was the first. Then Luka, Mandžukić, Vukojević, and so on…""This thing's going to explode."
Davor could feel his heartbeat pounding.
He tried calling Boban, furious at the national team's director for letting things get this far.
Boban's voice, however, was calm and composed.
"I support Šuker."
Davor was stunned.
"Hey! He was our teammate!"
"If you knew the full story, you'd understand. Bilić really is too hesitant.And besides — what can we even do?Are we going to publicly criticize Šuker?"
That question from Boban…
Davor fell silent.
Yes — what could they do?
Šuker's influence in Croatia had practically reached its peak.
Even the old guard couldn't shake him anymore.
And the team still needed him and the others to play in this tournament.
This wasn't a matter of choice anymore — it was inevitable.
Meanwhile, the Croatian team had arrived at their hotel.
Bilić had just returned to his room when Šuker and Srna showed up.
"Coach, we need to talk," Srna said loudly.
Šuker remained silent.
Speaking now might trigger a stronger reaction from Bilić.
Bilić looked confused at first.
But five minutes later, his face had gone pale.
Srna held up a notebook full of signatures — every single one from the Croatian national team.
"This is our decision.For the upcoming match, we ask that you restrain yourself.Just play your role as head coach — and leave everything else to us."
Srna officially declared the coup.
Bilić's entire body was trembling with rage.
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Yes, we do," Srna said clearly."We want to win. We want to beat Spain and reach the final."
Bilić felt a deep sense of despair.
Looking at the signatures, his heart sank with sorrow.
"So you've chosen Van Stayaak?"
"At least all his tactics so far have been correct," Srna replied."That's why we trust him now too."
Bilić opened his mouth slightly.
But no words came out.
He felt wronged, angry, hopeless.
Suddenly, he realized — as head coach — he had no authority left.
Even after being overthrown, he had no way to fight back.
His eyes turned wild with frustration.
"Aren't you afraid I'll blow this up publicly?"
Srna frowned slightly.
Šuker sighed.
"We really didn't want it to come to this.Can you just calmly see out the rest of the Euro, please?"
He walked to the door and knocked.
Creak — the door opened.
Boban entered.
"Captain!"
Bilić looked at Boban, full of sorrow.
Boban scratched his chin awkwardly.
Šuker nodded at him and led Srna out of the room.
Boban, the team manager, was also Plan B — someone who could calm Bilić down.
And if that failed…They could lock him in his room.
"Are you sure he won't stir up trouble?" Srna asked.
"I don't know," Šuker replied."But Boban will handle it.After all, both he and Davor have benefited a lot from this Euro — they won't let things fall apart."
Srna nodded slowly.
"So… you planned all of this from the start?"
Šuker's takeover had been flawlessly executed — carefully laid out from multiple angles.
They even reached out to insiders in Croatian football to block the news.
"No.I only thought about seizing control.The rest — the actual plan — was Zorančić's doing," Šuker admitted.
He had neither the mind nor time to think about all those details.
All he wanted was to leverage his influence and locker room control to take over.
But Zorančić provided him with a detailed, strategic blueprint.
Zorančić had even contacted many insiders to help cover up the move.
His father, Mamić, was one of them.
In any case, the power grab was complete.
Bilić had been sidelined.
They could now play using Van Stayaak's tactics.
The entire operation took less than 12 hours — from planning to execution.
It was a true lightning strike.
Before Bilić even fully processed what had happened, Šuker and Srna had seized control of the national team.
"What now?" Srna asked, grinning."Bilić probably won't be smiling at us anytime soon."
"Can he even stay?" Šuker shrugged."If he can handle the pressure, maybe he'll hang around — but it's more likely he'll resign."
The whole situation saw Bilić instantly stripped of power.
He was the only casualty in this event.
But there was no alternative.
Clashing philosophies.
The Croatian football machine was roaring forward — and Bilić was trying to slam the brakes.
That put him against the entire team.
Frankly, the fact that he was removed this gently was a stroke of luck.
June 24:The Croatian national team's first squad officially overthrew Head Coach Bilić.
Now, they set their sights on an even greater goal — the European Championship final.