Croatia FA suspends clubs for not paying debts
Reuters - Wednesday 28 March 2012, 14:31
Croatian top-flight clubs
Hajduk Split, Sibenik and Karlovac were suspended by the
national football association HNS on Wednesday for failing to pay
bills, including players' wages, officials said.
"Hajduk are suspended due to unpaid obligations towards FC
Sibenik, while the other two clubs have unpaid obligations
towards their players," HNS said on its website.
It was not immediately clear how long the suspensions would
remain in force and the HNS was not available for further
comment.
Hajduk are second in the league, 13 points behind Dinamo
Zagreb, while Sibenik and Karlovac are in the relegation zone.
Several Croatian clubs have been plagued for months with
severe financial difficulties.
The anti-graft police (USKOK) recently arrested several
people, including some HNS officials, on suspicion of taking
bribes to fix matches.
Science and Sports Minister Zeljko Jovanovic, who took
office in December, has blamed the HNS for the poor state of the
game and called for changes in the body's leadership.
Last week UEFA promised to stamp out abuse of professional
players in Eastern Europe, saying they were subject to threats,
violence and non-payment of salaries.