Croatia gets two-match World Cup stadium ban for fascist chant
ZURICH --
Croatia has been ordered to play two World Cup qualifying matches in empty stadiums for repeated cases of fans chanting fascist slogans.
FIFA says its disciplinary committee also fined the Croatian soccer federation 150,000 Swiss francs ($151,000).
The stadium bans will take effect when Croatia hosts Turkey on Sept. 5 and Finland on Oct. 9.
FIFA says Croatia fans were guilty of discriminatory chants at friendlies against Israel and Hungary in March.
FIFA says Croatia "had already been sanctioned for similar incidents by FIFA and UEFA" in previous seasons.
Before the 2014 World Cup, FIFA banned Croatia defender Josip Simunic for 10 matches for leading fans in a World War II-era chant used by the country's then-puppet regime.
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