Varaždin Reports Torcida: Around Fifty Seats Set on Fire
Despite 350 police officers and 150 security guards, Hajduk fans started a fire in the stands. Mayor Bosilj calls for changes to the rulebook.
Despite 350 police officers and 150 security guards, Hajduk fans started a fire in the stands. Mayor Bosilj calls for changes to the rulebook.
Nogometni klub Varaždin has filed a criminal complaint with the police against unknown perpetrators after Hajduk fans, members of Torcida, set fire to seats in the away section at the Varaždin stadium on Sunday, August 2, 2026. According to a statement from the Varaždin Police Department, an investigation determined that open flames, signal flares, and handmade incendiary smoke bombs destroyed around fifty plastic seats, while another ten were damaged by physical force.
The incident occurred during the first-round match of the SuperSport HNL between Varaždin and Hajduk, played at the stadium on Zagrebačka Street in Varaždin. The material damage has not yet been precisely determined, but the police have received a report from the sports joint-stock company on suspicion of the criminal offense of damaging someone else's property.
What is particularly concerning is the fact that the match was secured by as many as 350 police officers and 150 security guards, with approximately 5,000 spectators in the stands. Varaždin Mayor Neven Bosilj visited the stadium and strongly condemned the vandalism. "He stated that there is no place for such behavior at sporting events," reports Narodno.hr. Bosilj emphasized that the match was not classified as a high-security-risk event, yet despite this, seats were set on fire.
The mayor called on the Croatian Football Federation to review existing rulebooks and the Ministry of the Interior to review security procedures. If nearly 500 security personnel cannot prevent the bringing in and lighting of pyrotechnics, questions arise about the effectiveness of fan checks, video surveillance, and the organization of the event itself.
Sources differ in their estimates of the number of destroyed seats. While HRT Sport and Krapinsko-Zagorski report around fifty burned plastic seats, Narodno.hr writes about thirty destroyed seats. Regardless of the final number, the incident casts a shadow over the atmosphere that has been building in Varaždin in recent years, where the stadium attracts more and more families with children.
Bosilj warned that the greatest damage is not material, but the fact that parents may now justifiably hesitate to bring their children to a match again. Without the swift identification of the perpetrators, compensation for damages, and long-term bans from stadiums, similar incidents could recur.
While the domestic scene faces security issues, Croatian clubs are soon expecting important European matches. According to announcements by the Croatian Football Federation on the social network X on August 3, 2026, Hajduk, if they get past Žalgiris from Vilnius, will compete in the Conference League against the winner of the match between Raków and Hammarby. Rijeka, if they eliminate Ilves from Tampere, will play against the better of the Bohemians - Midtjylland tie.
Dinamo, as the Croatian champion, if they advance past Žalgiris from Kaunas, will play in the Champions League against Norwegian side Viking. If they are eliminated by the Lithuanian club, the Blues will face the winner of the Hradec Králové - Beşiktaş tie in the Europa League playoff round.
