Around 150 Torcida fans took to the highway near the Draganić rest area ahead of Hajduk's match against Gorica, causing a complete standstill in traffic towards Zagreb in the middle of the tourist season.
On the A1 motorway towards Zagreb, traffic came to a complete halt this afternoon after passing the Karlovac junction, and the cause was not a traffic accident but football fans. According to available information, police prevented a potential mass brawl between the Torcida and Armada fan groups at the Draganić rest area, as reported by several Croatian media outlets.
According to the website Hooligans.cz, which specializes in tracking fan clashes, police prevented a fight involving around 150 Torcida members and 150 Armada members. Police vans arrived at the scene, and a police helicopter was also deployed.
Around 150 Torcida fans took to the A1 motorway near the Draganić rest area ahead of tonight's match between Hajduk and Gorica in Velika Gorica, which kicks off at 9 PM. Torcida members stopped their vehicles, got out, and completely blocked the motorway in the direction of Zagreb, leading to a traffic halt. They were met by a line of riot police.
One traveler said that everything started right after the Karlovac junction, when a complete standstill occurred shortly after 4 PM. At that moment, several police vans passed along the motorway. Traffic was released around 5 PM, and the Karlovac police confirmed the intervention and announced more detailed information about the reasons for the standstill and the circumstances of the event.
At one point, the queue was 8 kilometers long, but as Radio Mrežnica reports, the Torcida fans were not solely responsible for all 8 kilometers, as traffic had been heavy throughout the afternoon. The Croatian Automobile Club reports that in the direction of Zagreb, between the Ogulin junction and the Draganić rest area, and between the Jasenice rest area and the Bristovac tunnel, traffic is moving in slow-moving columns with occasional short stops.
At the Lučko toll booths in both directions and Demerje towards Zagreb, there are no longer waits. On State Road DC1, due to a traffic accident, traffic is halted between Rudanovac and Prijeboj, and driving is slowed through the construction zone between Gračac and Knin, near Otrić. On the Krk Bridge, traffic is heavy in both directions, and towards the mainland, the queue stretches from Njivice.
Whether a clash with Armada was planned is not officially known, but Rijeka played in Varaždin today at 6:30 PM, so Armada was also on the road towards northern Croatia. There is currently no official information on whether any arrests were made.
Police confirmed to Jutarnji list that the standstill was not due to accidents but was caused by fans. It is alleged that a clash between fan groups was planned at the Draganić rest area, but the Karlovac police intervened in time.
According to police information, an official statement, or a spokesperson's comment, is expected soon.
