Hajduk Split fans known as Torcida marched through the coastal city on Thursday before the match against Ajax Amsterdam, then chanted far-right slogans about Jews and Adolf Hitler before and during HNK Hajduk Split's Conference League win over Ajax. The game was suspended for almost 20 minutes after flares and other pyrotechnic devices went up in the stands.
Croatia's political response
Croatia’s president Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković both publicly condemned the incident. Milanovic called it "inacceptable and shameful" and said there is no place in Croatia for the glorification of National Socialism and the Ustasha ideology, while the Israeli embassy in Zagreb said it was "deeply shocked by the serious antisemitic incident".
Plenković said the chants were "antisemitic messages" that "are completely contrary to the values we want to uphold in Croatian society". The reaction was not just local outrage, it came from the top of the Croatian state and from Israel's diplomatic mission in Zagreb.
The match itself
The crowd trouble came in HNK Hajduk Split vs Ajax, a game Hajduk won 1-2. The scoreline is secondary here, because the suspension and the political fallout will be the lasting talking points from the night.
The incident leaves Hajduk facing a very public fallout after a European tie that should have been remembered for the result alone. Instead, Thursday's match in Split is likely to be remembered for the chants, the flares and the almost 20-minute stoppage.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
