Croatia to play behind closed doors following UEFA punishment

Poljud stadium (Photo: Quintin Soloviev/CC BY 4.0)

The Disciplinary Commission of UEFA, European football’s governing body, has issued a series of sanctions against the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) following incidents during the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches between Croatia and France.

The first match, played in Split, resulted in a €32,000 fine HNS. This includes €10,000 for the use of pyrotechnics, €8,000 for laser usage by fans, and €14,000 due to blocked passageways at the stadium.

In addition, UEFA launched disciplinary proceedings related to racism and discrimination after both the Split and Paris fixtures, HNS said in a statement.

As a result, UEFA has imposed the following punishments:

• Croatia’s next home match under UEFA jurisdiction will be played behind closed doors.

• For the next away match, Croatian fans will be barred from purchasing tickets.

These bans apply to upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. UEFA also issued an additional fine of €30,000 in relation to these disciplinary breaches.

For the match in Paris at Stade de France, HNS was fined a further €25,000 due to the use of pyrotechnics, and €8,000 for damage caused at the stadium.

The HNS will also be required to cover the full cost of repairs.

In total, the Croatian Football Federation has been fined €93,000, ordered to play one home game without spectators, barred from having away support at one UEFA game, and must financially compensate the French Football Federation for damages incurred at Stade de France.