The Croatian soccer federation was sanctioned by UEFA on Friday for “racist and discriminatory behaviour” by its fans in the team’s last match before traveling to the World Cup.
According to the Daily Mail report, UEFA has not specified the incidents that took place during Croatia’s 3-1 victory over Austria in the Nations League in September. The match, unfortunately, had reports of insults ‘directed by fans of the federation and chants from the extreme right’.
The Croatian body has been fined 20,000 euros for ‘discrimination’ and 23,000 euros for ‘other incidents’ during the match in Vienna. UEFA also ordered a section of its stadium closed when Croatia plays Wales in March to kick off their European Championship qualifying group.
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This is not the first time that the Croatian football federation has been accused by UEFA of fan disorder. During Euro 2016, the match between Croatia and the Czech Republic was forced to stop for “several minutes” after Croatian fans “threw firecrackers and flares” onto the pitch. They were also heard singing ‘far-right songs’ and unfurling ‘offensive banners in the stadium’.
The 2018 World Cup runner-up will play Saudi Arabia in Riyadh on November 16 in preparation for the World Cup before flying to Qatar. They are in the group with Belgium, Canada and Morocco.
