UEFA severely punishes Dinamo Zagreb

(Patria) - Dinamo Zagreb will not have away fans in European matches until the end of the season.

UEFA decided this after fan riots broke out on August 8, before the match with AEK in Athens, in which fans of Dinamo, AEK, and Panathinaikos participated, and AEK fan Michalis Katsouris was killed.

"According to UEFA's assessment, all matches involving GNK Dinamo away fans are considered high-risk, and this was unfortunately confirmed by the exceptional severity of the incidents due to the presence of GNK Dinamo fans in Athens, despite the decision not to provide them with tickets for the match in question.

This was also highlighted in the report containing information about the incidents provided by the Greek authorities.

Furthermore, Dinamo is required to devise and implement a strategy to eradicate football violence associated with their club in cooperation with relevant political, public security, and football authorities in Croatia.

UEFA expects a report from the club in the near future with details of the plan to address this issue.

GNK Dinamo and its opponents must do their utmost to prevent GNK Dinamo fans from traveling to away games, while away teams arriving in Croatia can continue to receive their full ticket allocation.

GNK Dinamo and the competent authorities must take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of away fans.

UEFA will directly inform the competent authorities of the host countries/cities about this measure," stated UEFA in a press release.

The news of this drastic punishment comes after Dinamo's dramatic elimination from the fight for the Champions League group stage last night.

In Athens, in the second leg of the third qualifying round, Dinamo played AEK to a 2-2 draw, and the Greek club advanced because they won the first leg at Maksimir 2-1.

Dinamo continues its competition in the Europa League play-off, where they will play against Sparta Prague, who were eliminated by Copenhagen after penalties in the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

The first match will be played next Thursday at Maksimir, and the second leg will be played seven days later in the Czech Republic.