Pro-Nazi chants before Ajax match slammed by Croatia leaders

What the report says

Croatian officials, Israel’s embassy in Zagreb and football authorities condemned pro-Nazi and antisemitic chants by Hajduk Split supporters ahead of the club’s match with Ajax in Split on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera’s report based on AFP. Local media said Torcida fans marched through the coastal city chanting slogans praising Adolf Hitler and the Ustasha, Croatia’s World War II-era fascist movement. Police said an investigation was opened and suspects were being detained after some fans were also held for violence.

The report said the match was briefly disrupted by flares and other pyrotechnics in the stands, leading to a stoppage of more than 10 minutes. Hajduk Split later apologised to UEFA and Ajax, saying the visitors had witnessed scenes the club did not want Europe to remember. The Croatian Football Federation also condemned the incident, while Ajax won the game 2-1.

President Zoran Milanovic called the episode unacceptable and shameful, and urged quick action to show there is no place in Croatia for Nazi or Ustasha glorification. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic likewise criticised antisemitic messages as incompatible with Croatian values. The article adds that the incident fits a longer pattern of controversy around ultra-nationalist chants and symbols among some Croatian football supporters, with past UEFA sanctions cited as background.