Things are heating up in Split as we’re only a couple of hours away from Hajduk facing Everton on Poljud in the second leg of the Europa League playoff round
UPDATES
Full-time 1-1 (1-3) – Everton go through on aggregate. Full match report to follow.
46 mins – wonder goal – Sigurdsson scores from 50 yards for Everton – 1-1 (aggregate 1-3)
20:40 Not long to kick off, and the stadium is filling up for the home supporters.
The buses carrying the bulk of the Everton fans are yet to arrive.
20:00 Fans of both teams are gathering in front of the stadium. No incidents have been reported, and recording to these photos from the site, it seems the all-around atmosphere is still peaceful and friendly. People are having drinks and cheerfully chatting.
Local fans are joined by a big Hajduk supporter from Japan:
19:00 The stadium has opened and police-escorted buses are transporting visiting fans from the fan zone at Park Zvončac to Poljud. After the match, Everton fans will be held at the stadium for 45 minutes, then escorted by the police back to the centre.
There hasn’t been any sign of disorder in the city centre so far. Police officers are monitoring the streets on multiple locations.
Hajduk fans are doing some last minute shopping at the fan store.
18:00 The Blues are gathering in the fan zone that’s set up in Park Zvončac. So far, things have been pretty quiet; Everton supporters are reporting that everyone present is just hanging out and having pints. It’s not a cheap feat, though – a single beer in the fan zone would have cost you 50 kuna a couple of hours ago, now down to 40. With the average price of beer in Split set around the 20 kuna mark, you can rightfully consider yourself ripped off. We reached out to the mayor and the Tourist Board Split to find out who’s running the fan zone, but nobody seems to dispose of that information.
Other Everton fans who are having drinks in the centre at the moment report the situation is peaceful.
The boys in Split……. pic.twitter.com/5TE7QfLDI4
— Blue cladding (@EFC26PJ) August 24, 2017
15:00 The Police Department of the Split-Dalmatia County reported that they located and arrested three individuals under suspicion they participated in the assault. At this moment, this remains the only serious incident related to the upcoming match.
14:00 It seems we’re headed for a re-run of the fight that broke out between fans of both teams at Goodison Park two weeks ago, as Slobodna Dalmacija reports that multiple Everton fans were assaulted on the streets of Split by Torcida members.
Around 12:30, a small group of visiting fans was attacked by local ultras. The Everton supporters ran into a nearby bank to seek refuge; the bank staff activated the alarm to alert a nearby police officer who then called for backup.
The ambulance quickly arrived on site as well, as one of the assaulted Brits suffered light physical injuries. He allegedly received a blow to the head and collapsed multiple times as he was waiting for the help to arrive. He is currently receiving medical treatment and seems to be in stable condition.
