An uproar was caused by the post made by Davorin Karačić, the lawyer of Dinamo Zagreb hooligan firm Bad Blue Boys, where he wrote that "AEK fans are the biggest human scum that exists. They are human garbage, drug addicts, leftists and anarchists who throw Molotov cocktails and trample heads."
The lawyer, who has represented the Bad Blue Boys members in several trials and is a declared fan of the Zagreb club, argued that events happened entirely differently and in no way took place as described by the media.
The biggest Croatian website (INDEX) contacted the Croatian Bar Association about whether disciplinary action has been taken against Karačić. It informed me that all the necessary steps are being taken to make the best decisions.
"Regarding your question about the posts of Karačić, a lawyer in Zagreb, who on his Facebook profile referred to the conflict between fans of Dinamo and AEK clubs, we inform you that the Disciplinary Prosecutor of the Croatian Bar Association has officially disciplinary investigation, based on the provisions of the Statute of the Croatian Bar Association. Inquiries will be made against the appointed lawyer to determine if there are grounds for a decision to initiate disciplinary proceedings," was the response of the Croatian Bar Association.
"Disciplinary proceedings before the disciplinary bodies of the Croatian Bar Association are defined by the Law on the Bar Association and the Statute of the Croatian Bar Association, and in the disciplinary proceedings, based on the provisions of Article 76 of the Law on the Bar Association. The requirements of the Criminal Code and the Law on Criminal Procedure are applied in parallel," the statement added.
The incident
According to police, the fight broke out more than an hour after the visiting team’s training session ended late on Monday, and the couple had left the AEK stadium in the Athens suburb of New Philadelphia under police escort.
About 100 to 120 Dinamo Zagreb fans gathered near the stadium, where AEK supporters had gathered, and fans from both sides hurled Molotov cocktails and stones.
Greek police said the 29-year-old victim, identified only as Mihalis, was transported from the stadium to an Athens hospital, where he died.
Three Greek and five Croatian fans were injured and treated while 98 people were arrested, police added.
According to the public television channel ERT, those injured included a minor who was hospitalised after being hit in the head by a stone.
UEFA deplored the appalling incidents “in the strongest possible terms” and expressed sympathy to the victim’s family.
“Following yesterday’s violence and in consultation with the local authorities, UEFA has decided that the conditions for the match between AEK Athens FC and GNK Dinamo to go ahead tonight are not met,” the football body said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The match planned to be played tonight at Agia Sofia Stadium in Athens is at this moment postponed.”
UEFA, though, said the second leg due to be played in Zagreb on August 15 would go ahead while an alternative date will be found for the postponed match – August 18 or 19 being the suggested possibility.
AEK said in a statement that its fan was killed by “professional killers, organised criminals who crossed the country and arrived in New Philadelphia from Zagreb to join forces here with Greek criminal accomplices with the sole purpose of killing”.
The Greek champions demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice and said it was “self-evident” that inaction “played a decisive role in this crime”.
Under a previous ruling by UEFA, Dinamo fans, who have a reputation for disorder, were barred from attending stadium matches.
Croatian media reports said about 200 fans had travelled to Athens, likely as tourists, despite the football ban.
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