Torcida in fine voice in Metkovic with a message for MOST President and Deputy PM Petrov.
Torcida, a group of fans of Hajduk Football Club, held a protest at the main square in Metković to send a strong message to MOST, HDZ’s coalition partner in the government. Metković is the town where MOST is headquartered and where its leader and new Deputy Prime Minister Božo Petrov is the mayor, reports Dnevnik.hr on February 12, 2016.
Core members of Torcida came from Split on the occasion of the entry into force of the new Sports Law and its (non)implementation. They have sent several key messages. “Actions, not words”, “Suits and badges defend fraud and robbery?!”, “Committee elects leadership, leadership elects committee, a gang of the same people is being fed by the same thief” – these were just some of the banners which the Hajduk fans used to make clear to MOST what is expected of them.
Members of Torcida have symbolically set up two goals and played a football game in which one team wore Hajduk jerseys while the other team wore black shirts with crossed out Croatian Football Federation logos.
Judging by the initial statements by members of MOST, the demands of Torcida (and many other fans of football and sports in general) could be fulfilled. Sports Law will have to be implemented even by those who resist it the most – the Croatian Football Federation.
A few days ago, MOST issued a statement about the situation in Croatian sports. “We believe that the new law is a good way to correct the unsustainable situation in some of the Croatian sports. MOST believes that political interference in sports should not serve extremely dubious interests of individuals and groups. The state should take care only about creating preconditions so that sport could be a transparent activity, in line with the law and without scandals. MOST will not allow a farce which has turned Croatian football into a family business. Football and other sports must exist primarily for the fans, and in cases where sport is presented as a business activity, the rules must be clear, and the obligation of clubs and federations must be transparent and strictly controlled. MOST will insist on specific changes and keep our promises given to voters. We will return sports to those who live for it and we will not allow sports to be used for private purposes by people who are synonymous with scandals and illegality”, said Ivan Kovačić, a member of Parliament from MOST.
