Fans of Dinamo Zagreb have been banned from travelling to other European Union countries, away from Croatia, to attend their team’s away games.
The fans have been banned by UEFA, which said that Dinamo Zagreb fans would not be allowed to attend any away matches for the remainder of the season.
“UEFA has decided that fans of GNK Dinamo will not be allowed to attend any away matches as a minimum for the remainder of the 2023/24 season of UEFA club competitions,” the statement of UEFA reads.
The decision of UEFA to not allow Dinamo Zagreb fans to attend any away matches was taken following the severe incidents that occurred before the postponed UEFA Champions League third qualifying round match between AEK Athens and GNK Dinamo Zagreb, in Athens, which resulted in the death of a national of Greece.
As the Associated Press explains, more than 100 nationals of Croatia have been detained in Greece on charges including assault, murder, and membership of a criminal organisation.
Moreover, the same emphasised that fans of Dinamo travelled to Athens for the match despite the club being prohibited by UEFA from selling tickets.
UEFA said that supporters of Dinamo are considered to be high risk, and the same stressed that this risk has been confirmed by the recent incidents.
“All matches involving visiting GNK Dinamo supporters are considered to be high risk, and this was unfortunately confirmed by the extreme gravity of incidents due to the presence in Athens of GNK Dinamo supporters, in spite of the decision not to provide them with tickets for the match in question,” UEFA emphasized.
Moreover, UEFA said that it requires Dinamo to devise as well as implement a strategy to eliminate violence related to football and associated with their club.
It also highlighted that it expects the club to submit a report including details of the action plan drawn to address the problem.
While Dinamo fans have been banned from travelling to the EU to attend away games, UEFA said that visiting teams travelling to Croatia will continue to receive full allocation of tickets. It also highlighted that Dinamo, as well as the relevant authorities, will be required to take all the necessary measures to ensure the visiting supporters’ safety.
Dinamo plays Sparta at the end of this month with the return game in Prague. The winner of this match will advance to the group stage of the second-tier Europa League. On the other hand, the one that loses the match goes to the Europa Conference League groups.
