October the 17th, 2026 – Foreign media from a multitude of countries have bashed Torcida following the violent clash with Ajax in Split.
Antisemitic and Nazi chants by some Torcida members during the recent procession towards Poljud, a coffin with the inscription Ajax on it, and the interruption of the match due to pyrotechnics have resonated with the foreign media. Index reports that media outlets from Israel and the Netherlands to Germany, Poland and Russia, as well as numerous media outlets in neighbouring countries, wrote about the incidents in Split.
The most attention was attracted by the chants “Crush, crush the Jews”, “Auschwitz, Auschwitz”, “Rise, Adolf” and “Come on, come on, Ustaše”, which were heard during Torcida’s cortege ahead of the Hajduk–Ajax match in the Conference League. At the head of the procession was a yellow Golf with a coffin on the roof on which “Ajax” was written. The match itself did not pass without incidents either. The encounter at Poljud was interrupted in the 77th minute after home fans lit a large quantity of pyrotechnics. Because of the dense smoke the players left the pitch, and the match was resumed after 12 minutes. Hajduk won 2–1.
“shocking antisemitism”
Israel’s Ynet, one of the most-read portals in the country, published an article under the title “Auschwitz, Auschwitz: Antisemitism against the ‘Jewish club’ and its Israeli player”. The portal describes Torcida’s procession towards the stadium and the antisemitic chants shouted by individual fans. It particularly highlights the mentions of Auschwitz and Adolf Hitler, as well as the coffin with the inscription Ajax. On Thursday afternoon, before the start of the match, Israeli Israel Hayom published an article under the title “Auschwitz, crush the Jews: Shocking antisemitism against Oscar Gloukh”.
The paper states that the Hajduk–Ajax match was overshadowed by antisemitic and violent incidents and reports the chants “Crush the Jews”, “Auschwitz, Auschwitz”, “Rise, Adolf” and “Come on, Ustaše”.
Both Israeli media particularly emphasise Ajax’s historical connection with the Jewish community in Amsterdam. Part of Ajax’s fans have for decades used the name “Super Jews” and Jewish symbols as part of their supporter identity. That tradition developed, among other things, as a response to antisemitic insults from fans of rival clubs. Most Ajax fans who use that symbolism are not Jewish, but because of it the Dutch club is often the target of antisemitic messages from opposing fans. Israeli media also stress that their national-team player Oscar Gloukh plays for Ajax. Israel Hayom also reported on earlier attacks on Dutch fans, including two who sought medical help because of minor injuries, and on 57 people arrested after the riots in Split.
“disgusting insults”
The scandalous Torcida chants were also reported by the respected British The Telegraph, which published an article under the title “Croatian football fans chanted disgusting antisemitic insults”. The Telegraph also recalls the riots in Split during which the police detained dozens of fans, as well as the violence in Amsterdam in November 2024 linked to the Ajax–Maccabi Tel Aviv match. The British medium places the events in the broader context of earlier racist incidents in Croatian football. It recalls that the Croatian Football Federation has been fined several times over the years because of fans’ behaviour, including incidents at the Croatia–France match in March 2025.
“they showed themselves in the worst possible light”
The Dutch football portal FCUpdate published an article under the title “Scandalous chanting at the Hajduk Split – Ajax match”. “Hajduk Split fans showed themselves in the worst light ahead of the Conference League match against Ajax,” the Dutch portal writes.
FCUpdate states that a large group of Croatian fans on the way to the stadium sang shocking songs. “Videos are circulating on social networks in which dozens of Hajduk Split fans can be seen and heard singing antisemitic and Nazi songs on the way to the stadium,” the portal states. The Dutch medium reports the chants about Jews, Auschwitz and Hitler, and particularly singles out the coffin with the inscription Ajax. “But that was not the end,” FCUpdate writes, stating that the fans displayed a coffin with the name of the Dutch club which was later destroyed. FCUpdate also reports that the Croatian police have launched a criminal investigation because of the disputed chants during the cortege.
“they changed about auschwitz”
The scandal was also reported by the large Polish sports portal Przegląd Sportowy. The title of the article published late last night reads: “Rise, Adolf. They chanted about Auschwitz. Behaviour in the Conference League resonated”. The Polish medium particularly emphasises that Hajduk fans repeated the provocation from 1995, when Hajduk and Ajax played in the Champions League quarter-finals. Even then the fans carried a coffin with the inscription Ajax, and 31 years later they staged a similar scene again.
“Shocking scenes in Split before the Hajduk–Ajax match in the Conference League. Croatian fans repeated a horrific gesture from 31 years ago, encouraged violence against Jews and shouted antisemitic slogans,” Przegląd Sportowy writes. The portal reports the chants about Auschwitz, Hitler and the Ustaše, and particularly stresses that open glorification of Nazism was recorded during the cortege. It also reports the police statement about the investigation because of punishable chants during the procession.
the torcida scandal made it to the green, romanian and even chilean media
Torcida’s antisemitic chanting was also carried by numerous Greek media. The Greek public broadcaster ERT published an article under the title “Horrific Nazi chants and a coffin with the inscription Ajax during the procession of Hajduk fans”, while the sports portal Gazzetta wrote about “the coffin and Nazi chants of Hajduk fans”.
The incidents were also reported by the Romanian sports daily Gazeta Sporturilor, which published a text under the title “Rise, Adolf, light the ovens! Horrifying scenes in the Conference League, they disgraced themselves in front of Europe!” The Romanian medium describes the antisemitic chants and recalls the similar provocation with the coffin during the Hajduk–Ajax encounter back in 1995. The news also reached South America. Chilean Cooperativa reported on Nazi and antisemitic chants against Ajax, stating that Croatian fans shouted slogans about Jews, Auschwitz and Hitler and carried a coffin with the name of the Dutch club.
the german and even russian media weigh in
Unlike the Israeli, Dutch and Polish media, German reports mostly focused on the events during the match. Berlin’s Tagesspiegel carried the news of the German news agency dpa under the title “Defeat and interruption because of pyrotechnics: A bitter evening for ter Stegen”. The German agency writes that Ajax experienced a bitter start to the Conference League and that the match was close to a definitive interruption because of the mass use of pyrotechnics by home fans. Russian media, including RBC, Sport-Ekspress and Euro-Football, also reported on the interruption. In their reports the emphasis was also on the flare display, dense smoke and interruption of the match, while RBC also mentioned earlier fan clashes and extremist chants in Split.
regional media
Numerous regional media outlets also reported on the antisemitic chanting. The Serbian public broadcaster RTS published an article under the title “Scandal in Split – Hajduk fans sang ‘Auschwitz, Auschwitz’ and ‘Rise, Adolf’”. The Montenegrin public broadcaster RTCG also reported on the antisemitic chanting, while the Macedonian Sloboden pečat published a text and a recording of the events. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the scandal was carried by N1, Vijesti.ba and SportSport.ba, which even before the start of the match published a report on the cortege. Slovenian Siol reported on fan clashes in Split and police interventions, while Dnevnik carried information about the antisemitic chanting.
apologies from hajduk split
Split police confirmed that during Torcida’s cortege they recorded chants that have the characteristics of punishable behaviour and that they are conducting a criminal investigation in order to establish the circumstances and identify those responsible. After the match Hajduk also reacted, apologising for the behaviour of part of the fans who caused the interruption of the encounter by the mass use of pyrotechnics.
“We apologise to the competition organiser as well as to the management and players of Ajax who witnessed scenes by which we do not want Europe to remember us,” Hajduk stated. The club added that it had taken all prescribed measures, but that despite that something happened of which it is not proud and that it is ready to bear responsibility. Hajduk’s apology referred to the events at the stadium. The police are separately investigating the antisemitic and Nazi chants during the cortege.
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