Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday Croatian authorities and diplomats are making greatest possible efforts to help Croatians detained in Greece while President Zoran Milanović is sending messages that are not received well and will not help the detained Croatians.

105 men, including 98 supporters of the Croatian Dinamo football club, arrested after the 7 August football fan violence outside the AEK stadium in Athens in which a 29-year-old Greek was killed, have been remanded in custody and will be sent to 16 prisons across Greece.

“Yes to sports, yes to civilised rooting, but no to hooliganism,” Plenković said in Trsat, where he attended Mass for the Feast of the Assumption.

The government, the diplomatic service and the ministers have been in touch with their Greek counterparts, and the Croatian Embassy in Athens has been constantly at the disposal of the Croatian nationals in Greece, Plenković said.

He expressed condolences to his Greek counterpart over the death of the 29-year-old AEK supporter, noting that he was not prejudging anyone’s responsibility, and condemned the fan violence, asking the Greek authorities to make sure that the detained Croatians are safe and noting that Croatia will insist on a fair and speedy trial for them.

Plenković said the detained Croatians are faced with serious charges – participation in a criminal organisation, infliction of bodily harm and causing material damage.

The case is in the hands of the Greek judiciary and prosecution, not the executive authorities, he said.

“The support and involvement of the Croatian state and diplomatic service has been maximal,” he said, dismissing claims that Croatia is not taking sufficient care of its citizens.

President’s statements won’t help detained Croatians

“Quite the contrary, we have been helping from the very start, consistently, and unlike Milanović, we have not been insulting the Greek judiciary,” he said.

“As much as his statements may be welcomed by some who feel solidarity with our citizens, they are detrimental to them,” he said.

Croatia needs understanding from the Greek side, and Milanović is sending messages that are not received well in Greece, Greek judges have reacted and politicians have not been thrilled about them either, Plenković said, adding that it would be good if Milanović stopped helping the government.

In a message to the Croatian football fans’ families, the PM said that he understands their concern but that one should look at the situation realistically.

“They went there on their own, they did not ask anyone for permission to do what they did, somebody organised them, there was a fight and a Greek football fan was killed,” Plenković said, stressing that the government was against fan violence and that it was bad for Croatia’s reputation and sports.

The government will help the Croatian fans as much as possible, bearing in mind they did not go on an excursion or holiday, and it expects a speedy trial as well as that a large majority of the fans are deported and return to Croatia, Plenković said.

On towns declaring fair days

In a comment on towns declaring fair days to enable local traders to work on Sundays and holidays, as the amended Trade Act limits the number of working Sundays for retail shops to 16 a year, Plenković said that that possibility is envisaged by the amended law and that he does not see any problem about it.

“I believe that our citizens, just as those in other European countries, will soon get used to dedicating Sundays to themselves and their families and not necessarily spend them in shopping malls, whose turnover will be distributed to the other days in the week,” he said.