Football is supposed to unite people. Sometimes, it exposes the absolute worst of human nature.
In October 2026, the historic coastal city of Split witnessed scenes that should shame anyone who loves the sport. Ahead of HNK Hajduk Split's UEFA Conference League match against Dutch powerhouse AFC Ajax at Poljud Stadium, members of Hajduk's infamous Torcida supporter group turned a European football celebration into an ugly spectacle of hate.
Instead of focusing on a massive milestone—Hajduk's first appearance in the main stage of a European competition since 2010—groups marched through the streets chanting anti-Semitic slogans, invoking Auschwitz, and shouting praise for Adolf Hitler and Croatia's World War II pro-Nazi Ustaše regime. A Volkswagen Golf leading the procession even carried a mock coffin bearing the word "Ajax."
It was vile. And it demands a hard look at why European football keeps failing to root out fascism in the stands.
The Reality of Ultra Culture Gone Too Far
If you have ever attended a high-stakes European match, you know the atmosphere is electric. Flares smoke, drums beat, and songs echo through ancient streets. But ultra groups across parts of Eastern and Southern Europe often operate with a dangerous sense of impunity.
In Split, the Torcida didn't just cross a line—they obliterated it. Witnesses and local media reported crowds shouting slogans like "Rise up Adolf" and referencing the horrors of the Holocaust. This wasn't harmless banter or standard away-day posturing. It was overt, violent hate speech wrapped in football colors.
The backlash from Croatian political leaders was swift, but many locals and international observers are asking why it took a massive international scandal for authorities to act. Croatian leaders condemned the chants immediately, and the Israeli embassy voiced deep shock. Police in Split launched a criminal investigation, detaining several individuals under laws prohibiting hate speech and public incitement, which carry potential prison sentences of up to three years.
Hajduk Split won the match on the pitch 2-1, but the victory feels hollow. The club later issued an apology to Ajax's management and players for the hostile environment, yet the stain on the club's reputation remains.
Why Football Authorities Keep Failing
UEFA loves campaigns promoting respect and diversity. Players wear armbands, giant banners flutter before kickoff, and corporate sponsors beam anti-racism slogans across stadium screens.
Yet, racist and fascist chants continue to break out week after week across European leagues. Why? Because fines and conditional stadium closures don't work. When a club faces a financial penalty for fan misconduct, it gets written off as a cost of doing business. Ultra groups know this. They test boundaries because they rarely face existential consequences.
If European football's governing body actually wants to stop the rot, the punishments need to match the severity of the offense. Deducting points, kicking recurring offender clubs out of European competitions, and enforcing lifetime stadium bans backed by biometric surveillance are the only tools that will get people's attention.
Until clubs and federations treat fascism in the stands as a threat to the sport's survival rather than a PR nuisance, these incidents will keep happening.
The Broader Reckoning Croatia Faces
This isn't just a football problem. It reflects a wider cultural tug-of-war in Croatia regarding how the country confronts its World War II past. Critics have pointed out for years that public displays of Ustaše iconography and fascist nostalgia are rarely punished severely enough by domestic courts. When politicians only speak out after international media picks up a scandal, it sends a dangerous signal.
Football fandom can be a powerful community builder. It gives people an identity, a shared purpose, and a sense of belonging. But when it becomes a vehicle for glorifying genocide and anti-Semitism, the sport loses its soul.
The arrests in Split are a start. Accountability from club management is necessary. But until the culture inside these fan groups changes fundamentally, European nights will continue to be overshadowed by the ghosts of a dark past that football refuses to bury.
