Hajduk fined 96,000 euros, Poljud empty for Sint-Truiden
UEFA has closed Poljud for Hajduk's next home European match, and the punishment arrived amid a political row in Croatia that also drags in Serbia.
UEFA’s disciplinary ruling against Hajduk Split has set off a political row in Croatia, in which Serbia and its services are blamed alongside the fans. The punishment came on October 21, the evening after Hajduk beat Ajax 2-1 in the Conference League, and Poljud will be without spectators for the club’s next home European match.
What did UEFA decide?
The total penalty is 96,000 euros. Of that, 80,000 euros is a fine, and another 16,000 euros relates to passages and stairways in the stands that were blocked. Hajduk will play its next home European match, against Belgium’s Sint-Truiden, in an empty stadium.
Sources disagree on which round that is. Nova.rs reports it is the third round of the Conference League. BBC’s Serbian service does not name the round, but says Hajduk will visit Thun and Lincoln in the next two rounds and only then host Sint-Truiden, which would make it the fourth round. Nova.rs also reports a suspended sentence of another stadium closure if there are further incidents. BBC does not mention a suspended sentence.
It was Hajduk’s first match in the group phase of a European competition in more than 15 years.
What happened at Poljud?
Before kickoff, fans chanted “Trample the Jews,” “Auschwitz” and “Rise, Adolf.” Croatian media also reported chants about Anne Frank. Late in the match a large number of flares were lit and firecrackers were thrown, and play was stopped for 12 minutes. Pyrotechnics were used again after the restart, and the stadium announcer warned several times that the match could be abandoned for good.
The club’s management urged supporters to hold back at upcoming European fixtures:
“To all supporters we say clearly: at the coming European matches, both away and at home, refrain from any undesirable behavior that could do enormous damage to the club, both financially and to its reputation.”
That was the statement from Hajduk’s management. We covered the same story on October 19, in the piece on the surrender of Lekic and 23 suspects over Nazi chants.
What do the police and politicians say?
Police in Split filed criminal complaints against 24 people. Fifteen are in pretrial detention for up to a month, and seven are on the run. According to the portal Index.hr, four have meanwhile surrendered to police, among them Torcida president Ante Stipetic.
The political side of the story leads to Serbia. Former Croatia international and national team coach Igor Stimac condemned the fans’ behavior, but at the same time accused Aleksandar Vucic, some Croatian media and the opposition of an “organized attack on Croatia.” He gave his post the headline: “Special war by Vucic and domestic traitors against Croatia and the sheer stupidity of Torcida!”
Stipo Mlinaric, deputy leader of the Homeland Movement, a coalition partner in Croatia’s government, took the fans’ side. “The police are hunting Torcida members like animals,” he said, comparing it with how authorities acted during the summer fires on the Croatian coast.
Threats against journalists
The organization SafeJournalists condemned the threats against journalists that followed the reporting on the chants. On October 18 the Facebook page “National Reporters” published photos of 11 journalists and one political analyst under the title “12 Horsemen of the Croatian Apocalypse.” The authors accused them, without evidence, of taking part in a campaign against the fans and of links to Serbia’s Security Information Agency, which allegedly funds them, SafeJournalists says. It is calling on Croatian authorities to protect the journalists and prosecute those responsible.
