Dinamo Zagreb are facing a crisis on and off the pitch ahead of their clash with Celtic – and off-field matters mean travelling Hoops fans could face an away day nightmare in Croatia.
That’s because Borussia Dortmund are protesting to UEFA after fans complained they were strip-searched and MANHANDLED before their game there. The Hoops travel to Croatia next month knowing a win could all-but secure their passage to the knockout stage of the new-look competition. Fans will travel in their numbers as usual but will be wary after Dortmund supporters lashed out at excessive searches before their match, where the Germans romped to a 3-0 win.
BVB had 2,500 fans in Zagreb, but they were astonished when the Croatian security forces ordered them into tents set up near the turnstiles where they were ordered to strip completely to check for pyrotechnics or prohibited items.
Fans also complained about the way they were treated by the local security forces, with male supporters even reporting they were subject to their “genitalia being forcibly grabbed by police and security staff’ during the search, according to German media reports.
Dortmund fans were so outraged at their pre-match treatment they even considered boycotting the game entirely before deciding to enter the Maksimir Stadium.
The club have now made an official protest to UEFA. Sports director Sebastian Kehl said: “There was clearly a lot of unrest outside the stadium before the game.”
Dortmund then released a statement which said: “We have received numerous complaints about the security service’s actions during the personal checks during the admission phase. We condemn this form of checks and are currently in contact with UEFA and Dinamo Zagreb to report and investigate the incidents. Other affected fans should please contact our fan representatives.”
UEFA had already designated the match a high-risk fixture and yet despite the extreme searches before the game, Dortmund fans still managed to produce a pyro display in the second half of the game. As far as the actual football is concerned, Dinamo boss Nenad Bjelica insisted he was forced to play with no strikers in that defeat to Dortmund because of their extreme injury crisis that could hamper them in their next Euro game…against Celtic.
Brendan Rodgers‘ side face Dinamo Zagreb next month and they are in a good position to reach the play-off spots, with Celtic in 20th place with eight points after five games. And Zagreb have major injury concerns with manager Bjelica claiming he has only one fit striker in his squad, as his side went down to a 3-0 defeat at home to Dortmund, where he played with no recognised strikers up front and a 5-5-0 formation.
He said: “We were without Ivan Nevistic, Bruna Petkovic, Petr Sucic, Josip Misic and Arijan Ademi and I had to use an 18-year-old midfielder Branko Pavic. We wanted to fight and the boys gave their best, but Dortmund dominated, they have a lot of quality,
“I had to play without a striker. I tried to get the most out of what we had and the idea was to threaten on the counter-attack with the five midfielders, but it was difficult against a team who will be in the top eight I think. In my coaching career, I have never found myself in such a situation where I have had to play without any strikers. And none of the injured players are close to returning for the weekend.
“We need to win our next home game against Celtic and I still believe we will be in the top 24 who qualifies. Let’s not forget we are ahead of Real Madrid and PSG in the table.”