Football has once again been eclipsed by fan behavior in Croatia.
In a tightly-contested match between Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb, fan behavior took precedence over the match, which was delayed on three separate occasions due to pyrotechnic displays, one of which injured a firefighter.
The match also saw violence toward Hajduk player Adam Gyursca, who was struck in the head with a rock thrown from the stands.
Tportal.hr reported investigations are in the works to find the individual who injured the firefighter with a firecracker. Reports also state the investigators are treating the incident as a crime that “caused serious bodily injury”, which means the perpetrator could face 10 years in jail.
Reports have also claimed many of the explosives were possibly already in the stadium before fans arrived, possibly smuggled in by rouge security workers.
The match ended in a scoreless draw that saw more than half of the chances come from Hajduk Split.
Rijeka has now suffered five matches without victory. The former champions of Croatia have slid down the table after a scoreless draw against Slaven Belupo at Rujevica. Rijeka coach Matjaz Kek has stepped up to take responsibility in the team’s slump, but also prefaced the admission of guilt by stating he really misses the skills of the injured Heber.
Rising up in the table is NK Lokomotiva, who are two points behind league-leading Dinamo Zagreb on the league table.
The Lokosi earned three points over the weekend with a 3-0 victory over Velika Gorica, which brought them above NK Osijek, who also took three points from a 3-0 victory over Inter Zapresic.
NK Istra 1961 is currently holding a 2-0 lead in the 80th minute against NK Rudes. If the result holds, Rudes will remain winless after nine matches and Istra will advance to eighth place.
Torcida should be ashamed.