August 21 – Croatia’s Dinamo Zagreb are to play UEFA club competition matches without away fans “for a minimum” of the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
The UEFA ruling comes after an AEK Athens supporter was killed by Dinamo Zagreb fans on August 8 in the Greek capital, ahead of a Champions League qualifying knockout match between the two sides. The Greek football fan died of uncontrollable bleeding as a result of multiple stab wounds committed by Dinamo Zagreb away fans.
The match was postponed following the incident until August 19, where AEK scored twice deep in stoppage time to draw 2-2 with Dinamo and advance 4-3 on aggregate into the final Champions League playoff round. Dinamo Zagreb continue their European campaign in the Europe League qualification rounds.
Dinamo Zagreb matches are now considered to be high-risk by UEFA, who have placed the responsibility upon the club to ensure that their fans do not travel to UEFA club matches in order to avoid similar tragedies in the future.
The Athens tragedy occurred despite the Greeks attempting to withhold tickets from Dinamo fans for the match in an effort to mitigate potential violence. Despite tickets being withheld, fans of the Croatian side still roamed the streets of the Greek capital.
Opposition fans are still permitted to travel to Zagreb for away matches, and the responsibility has similarly been placed upon the travelling club to ensure visitors’ safety.
Contact the writer of this piece, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1735335666labto1735335666ofdlr1735335666owedi1735335666sni@o1735335666fni1735335666