Croatia fined €100K, handed ticket restrictions for crowd disturbances
UEFA assessed Croatia's football federation (HNS) a €100,000 fine Monday and prohibited it from selling tickets to fans identified by the HNS and authorities as hooligans.
The sanctions come after supporters in Croatia's end of Saint-Etienne's Stade Geoffroy-Guichard threw flares and firecrackers on the pitch, forcing a four-minute delay during Saturday's match against the Czech Republic.
The Croatians had a 2-1 lead before the incident but conceded a late penalty in stoppage time to the Czechs. It could yet cost them second place in Group D, depending on results Tuesday.
Manager Ante Cacic labelled the culprits "sports terrorists," while the HNS demanded action from country's government.
Related: Croatian Football Federation calls for criminal charges against hooligans
It isn't the first scene of chaos at a Croatia match. Fans lit flares and hurled them onto the pitch during a Euro 2016 qualifier in November 2014. Reports suggest a faction of supporters wants to disgrace the HNS by bringing Croatia's games into disrepute.
"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," former manager and current West Ham boss Slaven Bilic said on ITV.
The football federation's vice president, Zdravko Mamic, has been investigated for embezzlement in the past, and he's one of the prime targets of these protests, according to the Guardian's Aleksandar Holiga.
Croatia will also play its first two 2018 World Cup qualifiers behind closed doors as a result of discriminatory chants.