Croatian soccer back in hot seat over fans’ fascist flag

People walk backdropped by a banner showing victims executed by hanging in 1945 by the pro-Nazi Croatian WWII Ustasha regime in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on May 16, 2020. (AP/Kemal Softic)
People walk backdropped by a banner showing victims executed by hanging in 1945 by the pro-Nazi Croatian WWII Ustasha regime in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on May 16, 2020. (AP/Kemal Softic)

European soccer’s governing body has opened a disciplinary case against Croatia, its national soccer federation says, after fans displayed a World War II-era fascist flag at a European Championship qualifying game.

The Croatian federation said fans raised a flag of the Ustasha regime at the team’s 5-0 win over Latvia on Friday in Rijeka.

The pro-Nazi Ustasha regime killed hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma and anti-fascist Croatians in concentration camps during World War II.

Croatia already is under probation by UEFA for “discriminatory behavior” by fans at the Nations League finals in June in the Netherlands. The federation could not sell tickets to fans when the team played Monday in Armenia, where it won 1-0.

The latest UEFA investigation could see Croatia ordered to play in an empty stadium when it hosts Turkey in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Oct. 12 in Osijek.

The federation says it immediately cooperated with authorities in Rijeka and would consider legal action against the fans.

Most Popular