Croatian manager calls disruptive supporters 'sports terrorists'
Croatian manager Ante Cacic said "hooligans" and "sports terrorists" were responsible for throwing flares and causing a delay during Friday's Euro 2016 match against the Czech Republic.
The flares forced referee Mark Clattenburg to halt the match, as the players pleaded with a minority of fans to remain civil. But the delay proved costly, as Croatia blew a chance to clinch a spot in the Round of 16.
The Croatians carried a 2-1 lead into the final minutes of the Group D contest, but the Czechs earned and converted a penalty in stoppage time to split the points.
Related: Croatia denied last-16 berth after late collapse to Czechs
"This is maybe just a question about six to 10 individuals. I hope they can be identified and punished. I hope the Croatian FA is doing everything to prevent this, but it is impossible to avoid," Cacic told reporters. "These people are really scary, that is why I call them hooligans.
"These are not really Croatian supporters. These are sports terrorists."
Slaven Bilic, who managed Croatia between 2006 and 2012, said on British network ITV that the crowd trouble is just the latest in a long line of protests.
"There are many fans who are against the Croatian FA and we are paying fines all the time. We have played games behind doors. It is unbelievable what those fans are doing," said Bilic.
"They think the Croatian FA rarely plays in Split, they think it's all about Zagreb. It is a clash between the north and the south.
"The captain Darijo Srna has said on TV, just now, he is totally fed up of talking about violence in the crowd."
UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the country in the immediate aftermath of the match. Croatia was already due to have a hearing to face charges of fan misconduct during last Sunday's encounter with Turkey.
Earlier in the year, FIFA ordered Croatia to play its first two 2018 World Cup qualifiers behind closed doors after investigating two cases of discriminatory chants.