There was no HNL action this week due to international play, but that didn’t mean officials weren’t busy handing down disciplinary sanctions to teams around the league.
On the heels of the fan disruptions during the match featuring Croatia in Bulgaria, league officials passed down punishments for actions of fans, coaches, and players during the match between Hajduk Split and Rijeka in Dugopolje.
The punishments followed a disruption in the match caused by fans in both Torcida and Armada damaging the stadium by tearing out seats and throwing them onto the field.
Further extracurricular activities include a spat between players and Hajduk coach Igor Tudor.
League disciplinarian, Kresimir Vlajčević, punished Hajduk with two home matches to be played in a closed stadium, meaning no fans will be allowed in attendance. Also, Hajduk assistant coach, Jurica Vučko, has been suspended for six matches.
Rijeka on the other hand is on the hook for paying for stadium damages that have come in an excess of 15,000 kuna.
The punishments have been called “unfair” by many, especially in regards to Rijeka’s fines.
Though members of Armada participated in tearing out stadium seats, members of Torcida caused the most damage. Hajduk were also considered to be the home team at the stadium, but were left without the bill.
Why is Rijeka on the hook for the bill when Hajduk must play in an empty stadium for two matches?
The sanctions placed by the league fail to equally address problems both clubs had featuring their fans.
Could the league be targeting the more wealthy Rijeka over Hajduk, which has publicly been struggling financially? Whatever the reasons are, each club has three more days to appeal the sanctions.
HNL officials were staying busy in the off week by also punishing NK Zagreb for unpaid funds regarding Ivan Krstanović.
The club has until Oct. 19 to pay the 600,000 euros to Krstanović, which they are bound to due to an agreement during his transfer to Dinamo in 2011 stating they will pay for 40 percent of his future transfers, or their match against NK Lokomotiva will be suspended.
Fan unruliness is nothing new in the sport, but it has been increasingly publicized in the news recently due to high profile Euro qualifiers that involved countries that do not agree politically.
Most recently, the Serbia-Albania match was abandoned to to fan involvement and UEFA will certainly want to crack down what certainly gives a bad name to the sport.
Bulgarian national team coach, Lyuboslav Penev, may not agree with that statement, as he was quoted saying that he liked the fan involvement in the Croatia-Bulgaria match earlier this week. He says he loves the passion and that a stadium is “not a library” and thinks fans deserve to express themselves freely.
Do you think that UEFA and the HNL fines and punishments are fair, or does such fan behavior belong at a football match?
I am with MelbCro on this one………..”even though you may not agree with what I have to say it’s my constitutional right to say it”.
Stop being a gay rights activist.
MelbCro- read my comment again
I said “in some instances I do agree with Penev, for as long as I can remember, fans chant and sing funny songs, they whistle and heckle…thats all part of a home field advantage”
society is evolving so I think we as people at a soccer game should as well! there is a huge difference between “Srbe na vrbe” and calling a player a “nigger” or “monkey”! one is between nations another is purely racist against 1 individual and I just find it primitive.
I know exactly what it means to have a set of fans vs another…but that wasn’t what I was talking about when I said “I think it becomes a bit much once racism is injected”! You may have misinterpreted my comment, I have no issues with the typical fans vs fans scenario…as I said, racism by throwing a banana at a black dude is embarrassing, whether you think its ok or not!
Calling a black guy a monkey is tasteless but chanting srbe na vrbe is ok? And I’m pretty sure the sectarian chants in glasgow make calling someone a monkey sound like chil’s play. Seriously Slavonac the fact you simplified things like that in your reponse clearly shows you didn’t bother even trying to understand my point. Tunnel visions.
I’ll give you another example. Melbourne Croatia brought out a Nigerian player to Australia in the late 80s, Francis Awaritefe. He was embraced and given the nickname Crni Mate. Wouldn’t be able to call someone that now. Anyway, when we would play our arch rivals the Greeks, South Melbourne Hellas their supporters would chant and yell out ‘nigger’ and all sorts of stuff that would probably make you faint. After a few years with us, he transferred to South Melbourne Hellas. And the Melbourne Croatia fans abused the fucking shit out him at games. And you know what his reaction to the abuse was, he would smile and laugh and then score a goal against you. He didn’t give a fuck. Today if you ask him about what he thinks of either club and its supporters, he won’t say a single negative world about either. Only has positive things to say. That wouldn’t happen these days, because now the mentality is for everyone to be a politically correct pansy.
You know what, if Serbs wants to chant about killing Croats when they paly us and other shit like that, I could not care less as long as I’m allowed throw it right back at them. Then again maybe I’m just weird because I’m not a pussy that’s been brainwashed by political correctness.
Racism= calling a black guy a monkey and throwing a banana at him!
That’s just tasteless shit!
“I think it becomes a bit much once racism is injected”
Really? I think you should be able to say and sing whatever you want in a football stadium. You even allow freedom of speech on the terraces or you don’t. There is no sitting on the fence. As far as I’m concerned political correctness has no place on the terraces.
A good example is the Celtic V Rangers rivalry, remember watching a while back a documentary about the sectarianism in that derby. Unanimously both sets of fans fully supported the other side singing and chanting sectarian songs, as long as they were also able to do so as well. They love the banter and passion that comes from that. Anyone who wants to curtail things like that that needs to head off and find another sport to follow.
Chupe- they’ve survived because people keep them thin their positions…why do you think so many people left and are still leaving?
I sick and tired of the Red scum ruining Croatia the HDZ robbed us but these guys re killing Croatia come on Croatia fix the jebeni Komunisti kick them out of the country back to mother russia serbia cigani
Chupe- I wonder if Josipovic or Jovanovic will respond? He does make a very good and powerful point here…
here’s the crazy thing, if you read the comment section of those articles, people still criticize Joe.
@Slavonac from Canada
“in some instances I do agree with Penev, for as long as I can remember, fans chant and sing funny songs, they whistle and heckle…thats all part of a home field advantage.”
I agree with you on this; only when it turns phisical, it should not be accepted.
On the other hand, “tearing out seats and throwing them onto the field” might be the only way to beautify our stadiums.
http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/simunic-josipovicu-hocete-li-reagirati-na-povike-ubij-hrvata-da-siptar-nema-brata/777975.aspx
Bravo JOE
‘Ko ne skače, pravoslavac, je! je!
@slavonac
further to your comment, Igor tudor should of been suspended a few games, he is an embarrassment to the league and next you know it he will starting a hockey type brawl
in some instances I do agree with Penev, for as long as I can remember, fans chant and sing funny songs, they whistle and heckle…thats all part of a home field advantage. I think it becomes a bit much once racism is injected…violence is unacceptable at this day and age and coaches should not get physically involved in anything whatsoever otherwise I think they deserve a huge fine/disciplinary action.
Hope that Albanian drone makes it to the national museum in Tirana.
Who said that the Albanians don’t have an effective air force?
Just hope that their aren’t any copycat incidents – it would take away from this instant classic.