Hajduk squandered a win against Istra 1961 in the 95th minute (2:2), and furious fans directly demanded the departure of the club's management and president Ivan Bilić for the first time in nearly a decade.
Another shock at Poljud. Hajduk drew 2:2 against Istra 1961 in the second round of the SuperSport HNL, despite leading until the 90th minute, and the fiery reaction from Torcida after the match brought the fans' deep dissatisfaction with the current club leadership to the forefront. Chants of "Management out" echoed from the north stand, and president Ivan Bilić was also subjected to direct insults.
The Whites took the lead in the 16th minute from a corner taken by Šimun Hrgović. Rokas Pukštas was quickest to react in the scramble and scored to make it 1:0. Istra responded in the 42nd minute when Emil Frederiksen equalized from a free kick to make it 1:1. The ball changed direction on its way to the goal, deceiving goalkeeper Toni Silić.
Coach Gonzalo Garcia strengthened the attack in the second half. Captain Marko Livaja, who started the match on the bench, came on in the 56th minute. It was he who scored in the 84th minute to make it 2:1, seemingly securing the first league win of the season.
Istra refused to give up. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Dukan Ahmeti scored to make it 2:2, completely changing the atmosphere in the stadium. After two rounds, Hajduk remains on just one point, following a 2:1 loss to Varaždin in the opening round.
Immediately after the final whistle, chants of "Management out" began from the north stand, repeated several times. This was followed by direct insults aimed at the president of the Management Board, Ivan Bilić. "Bilić, you Turk, go f*ck yourself," rang out across Poljud.
What adds particular weight to the situation is the fact that Torcida has not so directly called out the club's president in nearly ten years. The last such incident occurred in 2017, when fans similarly expressed their dissatisfaction with then-president Ivan Kos.
Ivan Bilić has been at the helm of Hajduk's Management Board since April 2024. Alongside him, the board members are Marinka Akrap and Zlatko Žuro. After the match, the players gathered at the center circle to acknowledge the fans, but part of the crowd greeted them with whistles.
At the post-match press conference, the club's spokesperson did not allow coach Garcia to comment on the chants from the stands. "That's not a question for the coach; he doesn't have to answer that now. Let's stick to the match," he cut off the journalist's question.
The mood around the team is completely different from that following the European appearance a few days earlier. In Vilnius, the Split side defeated Žalgiris 5:2 in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Conference League, taking a big step towards advancing to the next round.
The return leg is scheduled for Thursday, August 13, at Poljud, kicking off at 9 PM. The Whites enter that match with a three-goal advantage, but also with the burden of another league stumble and growing pressure from the stands.
