Croatia will face disciplinary action from UEFA after several flares were thrown on to the pitch and fighting broke out in the stands late on in their Euro 2016 draw with the Czech Republic on Friday.
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Then, UEFA fined the federation a total of 135,000 euros ($170,000) for a series of incidents including racial insults aimed at Italy forward Mario Balotelli, a fan running on the field, and fans’ offensive chants and banners.
Croatia fans have a habit of disrupting and delaying matches at the European Championship. Referee Mark Clattenburg saw it fit to call a temporary halt to the match on the 82nd minute, The Guardian reported. It was accompanied with a large photo of Croatian players on the pitch covered with smoking flares appealing for calm from fans. Czech Republic salvaged a 2-2 d.
A UEFA spokesman said an official inquiry would be launched on Saturday.
Under Suker, the federation has employed Simunic as a coach and maintained ties with Zdravko Mamic, the former president of Dinamo Zagreb who faces a range of graft and corruption charges.
The Czech playmaker, quoted on www.uefa.com, said: “I felt that we needed to push for the three points so I pushed myself harder”.
Croatia’s fans have built up a track record of trouble in recent years.
The national team has a faction of fans with far-right views, and also groups who are protesting against the widely unpopular national soccer body led by former Croatia great Davor Suker.
“These are sports terrorists. Shame on you!” Kitarovic wrote Friday, recalling the June 2015 incident.
Russian Federation were given a suspended disqualification and fined 150,000 euros (£119,000) after violent scenes at the game against England on 11 June.
Fans clashed with stewards and some police before the game when trying to climb a fence to enter a section behind one goal.
Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic fears the team could be thrown out of Euro 2016 after the crowd trouble.
Three of the group were jailed for up to two years for their role in the Marseille street battles. Twenty other fans are to be expelled on Saturday on a flight from Nice to Moscow.
Seven people were arrested inside the stadium for thrown the pyrotechnics.
One Croatia fan who smuggled a flare into the arena was arrested and will be brought before a judge next week.
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“The day before the match, we had even more detailed intelligence and informed French police that a certain number of ultras have entered the stadium’s terraces and that they would interrupt the match in the 85th minute”. Spain remains on top of Group D with two wins.
