"Croatia is known not just for its phenomenal players, but also for problems that need to be addressed. All federations have their problems, and I see two problems in Croatia. One problem is the fans and it can lead to drastic sanctions against the national team and clubs. The other problem is the rather bad infrastructure, one of the worst, if compared to similar countries," Ceferin said at a press conference after meeting Prime Minister Plenkovic with a Croatian Football Federation (HNS) delegation and before meeting with President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
"With the prime minister, we have discussed the infrastructure and fans. UEFA will always help in improving infrastructure, while the HNS needs assistance, first of all, from local and state authorities. As for the fans, we cannot sanction them. The HNS and the government must do their part. I have warned the prime minister and Davor (HNS president Davor Suker) that the national team and clubs face severe sanctions," the UEFA boss said.
He said that during the meeting with Plenkovic he expressed hope that "we will arrive at a fair law on hooligans and a fair law on the distribution of betting proceeds, and that we will be able to build a normal stadium."
Ceferin rejected any connection between UEFA and an alleged plan to launch a regional football league in the countries of former Yugoslavia. He also dismissed any possibility of UEFA interfering in any way in internal problems of the HNS, such as accusations of corruption and problems with the referees' organisation.