Photo: Kacper Pempel/Reuters
CroatianSports.com’s own Rob Uvanović is currently in Poland following the Croatian national team throughout their Euro 2012 group stage matches. Here’s a look before the Croatia/Italy match on Thursday. Rob will be in Gdansk, Poland for the Group C finale between Croatia and Spain. What questions would you like him to ask Croatians attending the game?
Regarding the FOX News story on Croatian fans burning an EU flag prior to the Italy game, here’s what Rob Uvanović, who was at the scene, had to say via email:
“This story is trash. We were in the Poznan center this morning (video above) and it was just normal stuff. I did see the EU flag burned in the stadium, but to be honest, I thought it was a Kosovo flag.
The scene in Poznan was no different than when Poland played. You could seriously write a story about how slanted the media can be sometimes. Was there Ustaša chanting, yes.
How is this sentence considered journalism? “Some men were bare chested despite chilly weather, displaying tattoos of nationalist symbols.”
The sentence about riot police being there – there are riot police in Poland 24/7 during the tournament, just as a precaution. Right now, that is like saying there is a store down the street selling beer – no need to mention it because it will always be true.”
If any African American or whatever plays on the NT I will boo him until my death. Let him play for the US or an African team. Why do blacks have no pride in where they come, from. BTW anyone notice what Israel is doing to their black migrants?
Did Rob uvanovic say kick off against england at the start of this video? 0.06 seconds
@CroatianSports, How do you look at yourself in the mirror everyday knowing you are so weak that “you must supress” the truth?
The fact that all my comments get erased in this Orwellian Politically Correct society tell us ONE thing – I speak the truth.
And this anti-white system is going down, no thanks to beaten dogs like you.
1. Eduardo
2. Sammir
3. The current African American kid that plays for their academy
4. Any kid from Africa that they scout in the future.
@Ziva:
If an act is criminal, it should be dealt with accordingly. Handing out monetary fines or WC point deductions will not solve this problem.
Sooner or later the Dinamo Academy will produce a decent black player who will play for the NT. He will be booed/jeered by opposing fans.
Do you think Honduran fans don’t make monkey noises at Jozy Altidore or throw debris at the USMNT bus?
Honestly, I think some “fans” did this more to get under his skin than anything else.
you guys are making excuses……..if someone tells you don’t make monkey noises, don’t light flares and don’t thrown shit on the field….and you still do, then what are you complaining about. We knew not to do this but we still have idiot fans – OUR OWN FANS – who do.
We deserve whatever punishment is coming to us. It may be unfair, but guess what….all we had to do was behave like a normal fan and their would be no punishment or discussion about any of this.
All this fan/hooligan nonsense is an annoying distraction.
This is one are that the good old USA is clearly superior.
Why punish a National Team for the actions of a minority of fans? In America, if you throw something on the field or shoot a green laser in the eyes of a player, you GET REMOVED FROM THE STADIUM. How do people get into a stadium with half of this crap?
When, we played Turkey in Turkey, Mandzukic got hit with what appeared to be a battery and Pletikosa repeatedly got a green laser in his eyes during any free/corner kick.
@Toronto Croatia-After this I will say no more,but cup of tea or not,I am tired of seeing the problems that they cause us.They really wont be that much fun if my ultimate fear comes true of FIFA/UEFA getting to a point of making a example of us as a major perpetrator of these things.I hate to say it,but its only when they will make a example of us that some people will take some notice and the mentality will start to get broken.
It was the same thing here with Sydney United(Sydney Croatia in the old days)a big part of the reason why the old NSL was disbanded with a new A league formed was so that the Croatian,Greek and Italian backed clubs could not apply to form part of the new competition.A decent part of the reason was the Croatian fascination with flares,so again,ultimately we suffered for it .Now in state league we are lucky to get 900 people to a game,down from the previous 5-8000 or the glory days of 13-14,000.As far as I am concerned,flares only belong up some peoples asses.
Toronto, I am totally into the flares too, but in the stands. People expect that, and it’s what makes our supporters stand out. They burn out themselves normally.If not, dowse it in water or beer.I’m sure there’s plenty of that in the stands :0)
@ Ante Kvartuč …who is this clown Wallace, anyway?
GO TO THE FORUMS!!!
Moving forward, this stuff is getting deleted. Just giving you fair warning so you don’t waste your time.
@ Sydney….lol well everything that is fun seems to be a little dangerous, doesnt it?
Flares aren’t everyones cup of tea but I dont know what to tell you man. If a flare is lit in the stands, you can usually find me nearby and hyped up about it.
As for Wallace, dude you need to do some soul searching. If you believe in God, then God created all races. Smarten up.
@Toronto-but thats the thing,where do you draw the line,there is always some dick that will go too far.At the end of the day they are banned because they are dangerous and we pay for it in the end.Flares certainly give atmosphere,you cant say they dont,but banned is banned for a reason.As for sneaking them in,I was just saying this the other day,they are certainly creative,if only they would use their minds for something good!!I have seen people throwing them over fences to their friends at smaller stadiums in the past.Lets just say where theres a will theres a way.
@ Sydney United.58 I hear what you’re saying…and that guy was definately not smart to light a flare in the building.
But I don’t know….maybe I’m still of that old school mentality. I just think flares are a kick ass way to celebrate.
I’m actually curious as to how these guys are still smuggling them into the stadium….because security/searches at these huge events keeps getting tighter and tigther…so they must be having some pretty creative ways to hide them.
@Toronto Croatia-Yes,theres nothing wrong with having passion,but there is a problem when you get the meathead element that wants to beat their chest and say”Ja sam veliki Hrvat” and then they go on to act like complete dicks that embarass us all.I dont really mind flares so much in some ways,but at the end of the day they just cause a problem for all of us.As you say,they get hot,so you need to throw them.No shit!Having the ethics of not throwing them over women and children makes no diference at all,our Federation still has to pay for this.I agree with you saying its a habit that we wont likely break soon,as there will always be enough of the meathead mentality around to do it until we finally start getting docked points or worse punishments .
During the Turkey match in 08 I went to the local Croatian club to watch the match and a “passionate”supporter decided to let off a flare in the building during the shootout.Guess what?,the building was evacuated due to fire regulations and the coverage switched off.We found out the result after some Turks drove past waving their flags!Gotta love those “passionate”supporters that we have amongst us.
@ Armada 87653 No way that will happen ! @ Anoymous Go with the flow ! Can’t wait till Monday ! Bilic should but Eddy in a bit sooner for this game , & push Modric more forward like he was in the 2nd half vs. Italy , then we should Win . Bog,Hrvati,Hajduk,i HNS !!!
Milan Jeboteuguzicu you sound like a bitch to me. There is nothing wrong with having passion.
I don’t agree with racist chants or actions. I agree that embarasses all of us and should not be tolerated.
Flares on the other hand…(well I can’t be a hypocrite because I’m one of the guys who has been known to light a few in my day)
Why do they throw them on the field? Well obviously when they’re burning for a while they get hot…..where else are they gonna dispose of them? …easiest is to toss them. Ya its dangerous and I wouldn’t recommend throwing them over women and children…or at our own players on the pitch lol…
But honestly, flares just seem to be part of our celebration. Its a habit I cant see us breaking anytime soon.
@toronto croatia unbelievable video!! those are fans!!
Great. The HNS is being fined $32,000 for Croatian fan behavior during the Ireland game. I can only imagine how much the Italy game will now cost.
Sramota.
It’s not good when football is being overshadowed by the fans.This monkey chant business is going to screw us.We should be better than that.I am watching the games with my coloured Sth African buddies and telling them how cool Croatia is about this, and then this news comes out.Really pisses me off, because 99% of our fans are the best around. Flares in the stands I’m ok with, but why are these idiots throwing them out on the pitch, and when we’re already down a goal yesterday.Idiots! I did notice however that there seem to be local fans scattered around the stadiums.Lots of guys in black t-shirts in Poland, they seem to be the worst trouble makers.Lech Poznan supporters might be behind alot of the stuff going on? Not hard to buy a Hrvatska shirt and cause trouble pretending to be Vatreni
Is there video of the foul on Jelavic that should have been a penalty?
Wow! The level of intelligence on this site never ceases to amaze me. “Za Dom Spremni” & all that shit! What are you going to do when your dom is spreman? Move out of your mom’s basement to your villa on Korcula? Yea, really loved the fat guys on their motorcycles playing their throttles. Now, that’s talent! The mohawks are a good look too. Oh, & the block-head fat chicks getting their tit’s sucked….Maybe the first time by someone with teeth. Nice to see Croatia is continuing to be represented well around the world.
Im in Gdansk right now and was at the game in Poznan yesteday. The atmosphere throughout Poznan was sick. Red and white checkers everywhere you looked. I counted about 10 italian fans in the main square and i give them credit for sticking around as they were pretty much getting there balls broken the entire time. The most memorable part of the day was the tram ride to the stadium. I thought it was gonna derail from bouncing up and down from all the jumping, singing and chanting. At one point pieces of the ceiling were starting to break from the banging. It was an awesome 20 minutes and something i will probably never forget. As for the banana, one was thrown right from my section but was picked up quick by a security guard. Happened right next to Buffon and he didnt seem to mind during Balotellis sub. Ajmo Vatreni!
@ Curt
I hope you enjoy this upcoming season for Hajduk, when you’ll finish below Rijeka.
@Curt
STOP.
It’s not funny anymore.
Ooooooh Strk the anylyser fighting back haha go film yourself stroking talking Ike a wrestler haha tough Croat -U-
Hey Armada 87654422098 . Maybe it was your Italian buddys throwing the flares just to make Croatia look bad . Go to Rejka and tell them to STOP already .
@ TheOne
I only went out to the bars to catch the ROI game and the mood was awesome. Everyone came out early to Veslo for lunch and to pre game. By the anthems, it was standing room only in Veslo and Scorpio’s. Singing and chanting throughout the game and when we scored, a storm of beer and wine sprayed everyone. Even post game, we were slamming shots like it was no ones business, dancing, singing, etc. Great time.
I heard it wasn’t as packed for the Italy game (due to being on a workday I assume) but the same type of atmosphere in Astoria.
Everyone I spoke to after the Italy game felt uneasy about the tie. We were glad to pickup some points with Italy, but now there are too many moving parts to deal with. #1 trying to take points from Spain #2 hoping the Irish take points from Italy somehow. Everyone I’ve talked to is a bit optimistic… We’re gonna have to play the game of a lifetime against a hungry Spanish team who is just hitting it’s stride and is out for blood I’m sure now… That last game is going to be nerve wracking to say the least…
Armada87 whats the mood in Astoria?
damn Torcida… first the Poljud curse for the NT, now these idiots are throwing flares and smoke bombs during the biggest tournament in Europe. Dobro ucinio! ….
😉
Hey the guy with the flare looks like Dado.
I think both Spain and Croatia fans should sing a duet on monday at halftime. Maybe the Day O’ Banana song.
Seriously, how does the WC Qual group look. Is Belgium the only threat. Serbia has looked very poor in their last few games going back to the last WC. Will Da Silva make it to Brazil?
This guy above me is so funny, it takes him two times to say an awful joke.
That”s David “smash up derby” Diehl is what I meant -U-
@Strk ummmm did a David smash up derby make it to Scorpio’s to watch Croatia’s second match -U-
Some reports this morning that at least one banana, maybe more, were thrown from our fan section yesterday. Remember that UEFA and FIFA hold the federation responsible for the actions of their fans once inside the stadium.
Cool video, Toronto, couple fat dudes in chequered pants reving the shit sit out of their bikes to add to the killer atmosphere, i like it!
Anyone see this Youtube video yet?
You tell me who has the best fans in Europe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMkAo4rn6zQ
@Ana. Who ever is lighting off these smoke bombs are dumb asses , and its probably the BBB gang !!! Ha,Ha,Ha !!!
Rob,
Excellent stuff my friend. Great to have you in Poland bringing us the REAL news.
A couple of things for you:
1) Get some chicks on camera. Try to find those chicks that took their tops off for the Ireland game and interview them.
2) Ask people if they know who Ziva Istina is? 🙂
Great job buddy!
.
You know your fan base is ridiculous when all the guys you interview sound bias as hell while the one Italian kid sounds like he’s an expert. Great stuff though Rob, NYC misses you bud
yeah, they get served as tapas.
What if those Spanish bastards throw cevapi on the field? Do we get to stop the game and have lunch?
don’t be surprised if we get a suspended points deduction (2 or 3 points) for WC qualifying. If it happens again against Spain, the points will be deducted.
@curt u know the fucks throwing the flares were probably the torcida… or the BBB …or both haha
F–ken Idiots throwing Flares ,& smoke bombs on the field ! Officials are now fining HNS money , & soon will start taking Points Away from Our Team ! Someone tell these Idiots to STOP !!! It does nothing to help our team . Bog,Hrvati,Hajduk,i HNS !!!
Za Dom “SPREMNI” -U-
WTF? Is that guy holding the flare some sort of celebrity, lol.
When I went to Euro2004 I saw that same dude lighting up flares at Karlovacki Korner and he also brought a blow up sex doll and glued a photo of David Beckham’s face on it. I also saw him at WC2006.
That guy’s a trooper.