{
  "id": 11238836,
  "title": "Why is Croatia v England behind closed doors?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/why-is-croatia-v-england-behind-closed-doors-11238836",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-01T16:59:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-croatia-v-england-behind-165913263.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The upcoming match between England and Croatia in the Nations League, scheduled for Saturday, will be held behind closed doors at Stadion Riejka in Rijeka. This decision follows crowd disturbances involving Croatia fans during a previous Nations League match against France in March 2025, where seven fans were briefly detained on suspicion of making Nazi salutes. Additionally, Croatia supporters set off fireworks in their section of the Stade de France during the same match, leading to the prohibition of traveling supporters for Croatia in their subsequent match in the Czech Republic. Despite the closed-door policy, between 3,000 and 6,000 Croatian schoolchildren will be granted limited access to attend the game. Initially, England fans were not permitted entry, but discussions with UEFA and England resulted in the provision of 100 complimentary tickets for their supporters.",
  "summary": "BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team explains why England's Nations League match in Croatia is being played in front of a reduced capacity.",
  "key_points": [
    "England vs Croatia match behind closed doors at Stadion Riejka.",
    "Crowd disturbances by Croatia fans in March 2025 led to ban.",
    "3,000-6,000 Croatian schoolchildren granted limited access."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Why is Croatia v England behind closed doors?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/why-is-croatia-v-england-behind-closed-doors",
        "published": "2026-10-01T16:59:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}