April 5 – Scenes of violence marked the Croatian Cup semi-final between Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb. After the match at the Poljud Stadium, which ended with a 1-0 victory to the visitors from Zagreb, the home team’s ultras broke through security on to pitch to confront the Hajduk players.
The players reacted quickly, withdrawing to the dressing rooms, and avoiding any physical violence.
The police managed to push the fans back into the stands, only for the ultras from the extreme Torsida faction to break seats and throw objects at law enforcement and on to the pitch.
It was Hajduk’s second loss to Dinamo in just a few days. At the weekend, Dinamo defeated Hajduk in a championship match as well, the loss ending the slim chance the team from Split to stay in the running for the Croatian title.
After the unrest in the stadium, the ugly scenes spilled over into the streets of Split, where Hajduk fans continued to provoke the police, pelting them with stones and bottles.
The president of Hajduk Lukša Jakobušić expressed his regret for what happened saying: “After last night, I feel all the negative emotions that a person who loves Hajduk can feel. And sadness, and anger, and disappointment. Three and a half years ago, when we came, I said that I wanted a powerful, strong and lordly Hajduk. Yesterday, this was neither powerful, nor strong, nor lordly. Not even on the field, and especially this later, what happened in the stands, and spilled over onto the field and city streets. I feel ashamed.
“I understand the frustration of the fans, of us in the club, of all the people around the club, but that is not the reason that frustration leads to destruction. I cannot support and justify that in any way.,” ha continued.
“That’s not Hajduk! Although all this is repeated periodically, it is not Hajduk and it is not Split. That’s not how you help the club. No matter how frustrated this group of young men are, violence is never and cannot be the solution. Yesterday it happened that people felt unsafe in Poljud, and that should not happen. No one should feel that way, not the players, not the fans or anyone in the club.
‘There were women and children there yesterday. This is football, this is just a sport. Although for many of us football means life, and so probably also for these young men who ran on to the field, that does not mean that they can endanger everyone else for whom it is just a sport. There are 30,000 people in the stadium, the whole of Split, the whole of Croatia… Imagine that we all start expressing our frustrations as we please. Hajduk cannot allow such things. That’s not how you like the club”, Jakobušić added.
The Croatian Football Federation announced that Poljud Stadium would be closed indefinitely and no matches will be played there until the NHS Disciplinary Committee has made a final decision on Hajduk’s punishment.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1713957731labto1713957731ofdlr1713957731owedi1713957731sni@o1713957731fni1713957731