During the recent Nations League face-off between France and Croatia, a group of fans was detained for making Nazi salutes. According to the announcement by the Paris police prefect, these acts occurred during the game at the Stade de France.
The security arrangements implemented for Sunday’s match were instrumental in identifying and apprehending the seven individuals responsible for these gestures. The police prefecture, however, did not disclose which team the fans represented.
Laurent Nunez, addressing the situation on social media, emphasized the essence of sports as a celebratory event, stating, “These individuals have no business in a sports arena.” The exact team loyalties of the fans involved remain unspecified.
The match also saw other disruptions, including the ignition of firecrackers and flares in the section designated for Croatian supporters. This incident echoes past concerns about fan behavior; last year, UEFA penalized the Croatian national soccer federation with a substantial fine for racist and discriminatory antics at European Championship events. Croatia, alongside six other federations, faced punitive measures, with Croatia incurring the heaviest penalty of 50,000 euros ($54,000) due to offenses across its three matches.
Despite these disturbances, the match concluded with France claiming victory. The nail-biting penalty shootout ended with a 5-4 score, following a 2-2 aggregate draw, allowing France to advance to the Nations League semifinals.