Rijeka Fans Turn on Rukavina and Raić-Sudar
Rijeka suffered their first defeat in Matjaž Kek's second stint in Varaždin, and fans on the club's official Facebook page did not hold back in criticizing players and the sporting director.
Rijeka suffered their first defeat in Matjaž Kek's second stint in Varaždin, and fans on the club's official Facebook page did not hold back in criticizing players and the sporting director.
On Sunday, August 16, 2026, Rijeka suffered their first defeat in coach Matjaž Kek's second stint. Varaždin celebrated a 2-0 victory at home, with both goals scored by Ivan Mamut. This extended Varaždin's unbeaten home run against Rijeka, which dates back to November 2023, to seven matches, including four consecutive wins.
The defeat comes at a particularly sensitive time, just before the Conference League playoff against Danish side Midtjylland. Prior to this match, Rijeka had recorded four wins and one draw in Kek's return, but the performance in Varaždin sparked a wave of discontent among fans.
On the club's official Facebook page, Rijeka fans did not mince words. Particularly targeted were player Gabriel Rukavina and sporting director Darko Raić-Sudar. One comment read: "I hope this is Rukavina's last game in a Rijeka shirt," while another added: "This Rukavina has more penalties conceded and red cards than goals scored."
Harsher messages were also directed at the sporting director. "I don't understand why Mišković puts up with an incompetent and a total blockhead like Raić-Sudar, in my opinion the weakest link in the club. Sometimes I think he's working against the club," wrote one fan. Another was even more direct: "Get rid of Raić-Sudar immediately; all the best players left for free, and he brings in God-knows-who: Čubelić, Rukavina, Lehbo, Morhilatze, Barco, Husić, Yankov."
Some fans also criticized the approach to the match itself. "From the 30th minute we're losing 2-0, and by the 90th we haven't created a single chance. Mr. Kek, this is unwatchable," read one comment. Another called out the tactical setup: "A modern coach has players running and passing the ball forward to score goals; this passing backward can be done without a coach, it's unwatchable."
However, there were also those who came to the Slovenian expert's defense. "The result is the fault of the limited squad, i.e., the players, not Kek! Hats off to Matjaž for even daring to return to Rijeka with these players..." wrote one fan, while another said: "As I wrote multiple times when Kek arrived... If he doesn't bring in 7 players to his liking, this will be a coma; Kek is not a coach for this roster..."
The defeat heightened nerves ahead of Thursday, when Rijeka faces the Conference League playoff against Midtjylland. "If a team like Varaždin beats us, I don't know what we can hope for on Thursday. But hey, it's the beginning; hopefully Kek will sort it out," commented one fan. Another was more pessimistic: "This could be a worse season than last, at least from what we're watching."
Rijeka fans were also stung by reminders of a recent European match: "It's important that they spat on Sanchez; from 0-0 against Strasbourg, we've come to struggling against an outsider." The message "Shame on you for playing like this" perhaps best sums up the mood among some fans after this unexpected defeat.
