Croatia fined €53,000 for flares and racism in match against Spain

UEFA has struck the Croatian Football Federation once again, this time with a €53,000 fine over the incidents recorded during the return match against the Spanish national team played on 6 October in Split. The game, which closed the Nations League group stage and ended in a 1-2 win for Spain, has produced a disciplinary file including charges of racist behaviour, use of flares and blocking of public passageways.

The ruling by European football's governing body details three different charges against the Balkan crowd. The most serious, valued at €30,000, relates to the racist and discriminatory behaviour observed in the stands at Poljud stadium. That conduct also carries a partial closure of 20 % of the stadium capacity for Croatia's next home match, although the sanction is suspended for a probationary period of two years.

• Total fine of €53,000 for the Croatian Football Federation over the incidents in Split.
• €30,000 and a 20 % partial stadium closure for racist behaviour, suspended for two years.
• €23,000 for lighting flares and other pyrotechnic devices.
• €4,000 for blocking public passageways near the stadium.
• Spain won the away match 1-2.

Second UEFA sanction in a week over the matches against Spain

This is not the first fine imposed on Croatian football in recent days over the clashes with the world champions. Just days ago, UEFA resolved a separate case opened after the match Croatia played against Spain at the Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in Seville. That first sanction amounted to €20,000 and also included a ban on selling tickets to Croatian supporters for the next away fixture, another measure suspended during a two-year probationary period.

With this new ruling, the Croatian Football Federation has now accumulated more than €70,000 in fines stemming from the two official meetings against Spain in the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League group stage.

What the sanction for the Split match includes

The €53,000 punishment is broken down into three separate concepts. The main one is the €30,000 fine for the racist and discriminatory behaviour of a section of the home crowd. Added to that amount is a €23,000 penalty for lighting flares and pyrotechnic devices, plus another €4,000 for blocking public passageways on matchday.

The disciplinary file also includes a partial closure of Poljud stadium covering 20 % of its capacity for Croatia's next official home game, a measure directly linked to the racist behaviour observed in the stands. As is the case with the away ticket sales ban, this partial closure remains suspended for a probationary period of two years, meaning it will only be enforced if Croatian fans repeat similar conduct.

A game marked by Spain's win at Poljud

The 6 October match in Split pitted Croatia against Spain on the final matchday of a group stage that Zlatko Dalic's side entered as reigning Nations League runners-up. Spain's 1-2 away victory left La Roja with a disappointing record in that edition, while the incidents involving Croatian fans have kept a disciplinary case open for months before this final resolution.

Croatia's troubled recent record with fan behaviour

Racist behaviour is not an isolated problem in Croatian football. UEFA has opened several disciplinary cases in recent years over discriminatory chants and banned symbols at matches involving clubs and national teams from the Balkan country. The accumulation of these two consecutive sanctions over the games against Spain puts the Croatian Football Federation under direct scrutiny from the European governing body for the next two years.

Frequently asked questions about Croatia's sanction