Eko Hot Blog reports that at least 50 individuals were arrested, and a minimum of three police officers were hospitalized after clashes between football fans and authorities following a match in the coastal town of Split, Croatia, officials reported on Thursday.
The violence erupted late Wednesday when supporters of Hajduk Split stormed the field following their team’s 0-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the national cup semi-finals.
Members of Hajduk Split’s passionate fan base, the Torcida, attempted to assault the visiting team and its fans, leading to confrontations with stadium security, according to a police statement.
The violence later spilled into the streets surrounding the football stadium, with large groups attacking police officers on multiple occasions, hurling flares, bottles, stones, and other objects, the statement added.
At least three officers were hospitalised, the statement added, without elaborating on the nature of their injuries.
One police vehicle was also damaged and 51 people were arrested, while firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish several blazes started in nearby dumpsters.
Split’s mayor, Ivica Puljak, strongly condemned the incident, saying there was “no justification for the violence.”
“I am sorry for such unpleasant scenes and I hope we will never see them again in our city,” he wrote on Facebook.
Football is an obsession in Croatia, where the national team finished as the World Cup runner-up in 2018.
The nation, alongside many others in the Balkans, has grappled with persistent hooliganism during matches, notably involving groups like Dinamo Zagreb’s Bad Blue Boys and Hajduk Split’s Torcida.
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