Hajduk Fans Furious with Their Favorite Son
Split side fell 2-1 in Varaždin in the first round of the HNL, and social media comments reveal deep dissatisfaction with the play, the management, and the coach.
Split side fell 2-1 in Varaždin in the first round of the HNL, and social media comments reveal deep dissatisfaction with the play, the management, and the coach.
Hajduk's footballers opened the new HNL season with an away defeat in Varaždin. The hosts won 2-1, and a match that was completely uneventful in the first half exploded in the second with three goals in just nine minutes.
The first half was marked by a midfield stalemate, with no clear-cut chances. However, the second half painted a completely different picture. The hosts took the lead in the 53rd minute through Mario Mladenovski, but Hajduk quickly responded. Rokas Pukštas leveled the score just three minutes later, in the 56th minute. Yet, Luka Mamić set the final score at 2-1 in the 62nd minute, delivering the first blow of the season to the Split club.
The reaction from fans on the club's official Facebook page was fierce. Comments poured in, targeting players, management, and coach Garcia. One fan sarcastically wrote: "Thank you to the NH association for 20 wonderful years... This is evolutionary progress..."
Particularly harsh comments were directed at Marko Livaja. "I sincerely hope this is the last match for 'couldn't care less' Livaja!" one fan said, while another added: "Garcia haters, you wanted Livaja, you got Livaja, and here's the result for all of us. I love Livaja, but he's no longer the player he once was."
Coach Garcia also came under fire. The direct message "GARCIA OUT!" reflects the mood of a section of the fans, and one comment predicted: "The most important thing is that now 90% of fans will attack the coach, but they won't even touch the root of the problem!"
Pessimism dominated the comments. "The season hasn't even started, and it's already over for us," read one, while another broke down the financial picture: "Every year we burn through about 30 million euros, and no one is accountable for anything. I'd love to get a job there too. For comparison, Varaždin spends 6 million with identical results."
Dissatisfaction also spilled over onto scouting assessments. "Give the scouts and the sporting director a raise, because what they bring in would probably have quit football if Hajduk hadn't signed them," one fan said ironically.
The defeat comes at an awkward time for Hajduk, who face an away European match on Thursday. The Split side travels to Lithuania to take on Žalgiris Vilnius in the third qualifying round of the Conference League. Fan comments leave little room for optimism: "Next comes elimination from Europe, then a fight for 4th place-that's our reality. Cup quarterfinals, maybe semifinals."
The defeat at the start of the season, combined with already-present fan frustrations and a challenging European away match on the horizon, puts Hajduk under enormous pressure right at the beginning of the new competitive year.
