A Croatian fan gestures as he holds the Serbian Flag during the European Waterpolo Championships final match in Kranj, Slovenia, on Sunday, June 15, 2003. (AP Photo/Jaka Vinsek)
Posted on 06/15/2003 7:00:39 PM PDT by joan
ZAGREB, Croatia - Croatian fans smashed stadium chairs and attacked reporters Sunday night after their team lost the European water polo championship to Serbia and Montenegro. In Belgrade, celebrating Serbian fans broke into the Croatian embassy.
No serious injuries were reported.
The violence in neighboring Slovenia forced organizers to skip the official ceremony and deliver the medals in a secluded part of the stadium.
Jura Ozmec, the commentator for state-run Croatian television, said he and several other reporters were attacked, but no one appeared seriously injured.
TV footage showed violent fans who apparently were not deterred by tear gas from police. One fan pushed a Croatian player who was pleading with the fans to stop.
Croatia Prime Minister Ivica Racan criticized the fans in a message congratulating the team for its silver medal. Serbia and Montenegro won 9-8 in Kranj, Slovenia.
"You represented Croatia wonderfully, unlike those vandals, who ashamed Croatia and who deserve our utmost condemnation," he said in a statement.
In Belgrade, several thousand fans marched to the Croatian embassy, where riot police initially failed to hold them back. Some fans made it onto a terrace of the building and replaced the Croatian flag with a Serbian one.
The fans, who chanted Serbian nationalist slogans, also threw stones at the building, smashing several windows. They also threw rocks at the building, smashing several windows, and also looted beer and cigarettes at two nearby kiosks.
The celebration had begun with a peaceful party at the main square, where at least 5,000 fans cheered, waved flags and set off firecrackers.
23:23 - Nikola Kujic , the water polo played from Serbia-Montenegro was injured in the clashes caused by the fans after the final match of the European championship, held in Slovenia, SOS Channel TV reports. Citing unofficial sources, that TV station reported that more than 200 people were injured in the clashes started by the Croat fans, dissatisfied with the outcome of the match.
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