Croatia fans who caused trouble during their team’s Euro 16 match against the Czech Republic are “sports terrorists” and have no place in soccer stadiums, the Balkan nation’s coach says.
The supporters threw flares on to the pitch and fought among themselves in one section of St-Etienne’s Stade Geoffroy Guichard on Friday, forcing the Group D game to be interrupted for several minutes while officials and players appealed for calm.
“We were exposed to the terror of hooligans who have no place in sports arenas and I sincerely hope they will be identified and brought to justice,” said coach Ante Cacic.
“They are terrorists, sports terrorists, a specific group. Unfortunately, they still exist and even enjoy some kind of support at home.
UEFA said disciplinary proceedings would be opened on Saturday once they had received official reports from the match delegate and referee Mark Clattenburg.
Cacic blamed the Croatian government for being too lenient with soccer-related offenders and not doing enough to crush hooliganism, which has been rife in the former Yugoslav republic over the last decade.
“What hurts me is that the (Croatian) authorities will not deal with the problem,” he said.
“The government has not done enough to eradicate them while the Croatian Football Association just doesn’t have the repressive tools to do it on its own.
“This is just a handful of thugs, maybe a dozen, but many Croatian patriots, including the players who wear the shirt with so much pride and passion, are now ashamed in front of the whole of Europe.”
A small section of Croatian supporters threw eight small flares on to the pitch and attacked a much larger group who had behaved impeccably up to the point when the violence broke out.
Play was suspended as the Croatia players appealed for calm in the closing stages of the match when they were 2-1 ahead.
The Czechs, who had pulled a goal back after falling 2-0 behind, grabbed a last-gasp equaliser and Cacic said the trouble no doubt deprived his distracted team of victory.
BigAl
Guest
What's one more conspiracy theory between friends ?
theBird
Guest
Word on the street is that UDBA(secret police of Yugoslavia) are responsible.
BigAl
Guest
Well said Waz! - that is essentially what I'm saying in my post, which goes totally of the head of . . . some!
Waz
Guest
What was considered "the English disease" is now europes. From this you can understand our own FFAs obsession with crowd behaviour, flares and other related issues. Hooliganism would be sure to kill the professional game in this country if it ever took hold; the gloating by some on this board (and in the media) is understandable, they have no intention of understanding the underlying issues and instead just want to stick the label firmly to the code that is soc-kha, the enemy, in the hope it does the sport harm in this country. It won't, but all this won't help either.
MelbCro
Guest
its not been left out of reports, that side of it is being reported everywhere. Anyway the reasons behind it are irrelevant. I share the same anti HNS and anti Mamic views as those fans, but they are absolute scum for what the did. I have no sympathy for them.
BigAl
Guest
Oh!!! - actually at the mo. I'm ROTFLMAO
Punter
Guest
No I meant you!!!! You are trying to equate on what is happening with Croatian fans (small minority) to that article written in the Herald Sun. Try goggling & understand fully this situation & understand why the Croatian coach called them this word. There is some recent history on this & this was just another example!!!! No football fans condones it!!!! Try to understand the difference between what is happening in Euros to what happens in this country. You are truly sad!!!
CBR
Guest
Not to condone their actions, but what I've been hearing is that a small group of fans are trying to sabotage the Croatian football federation in response to perceived corruption within the federation. It is the motives that have been left out of the media reports and while they do not justify this behaviour it makes it more than just meaningless violence.
real
Guest
They are not Football fans. Just a bunch of troublemakers who use the biggest stage to draw attention. They should be publicly caned in the middle of Paris before the next match and aired live around the world.
BigAl
Guest
I guess that's one description of it
Punter
Guest
So sad BigAl!!!!!
BigAl
Guest
That Croation coach just has to be an agent of The Herald Sun !
AZ_RBB
Guest
It's killing how these people are ruining what has been an otherwise awesome tournament. The football has been closely contested and unpredictable. There have been surprises and some amazing goals. Can't let these half wits take away the attention from the football