UEFA donates €200 000 for football infrastructure recovery in Zagreb

In the weeks following the violent earthquake that hit the city of Zagreb on March 22, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) began collecting reports and data on the damage that the earthquake has caused to local football infrastructure. Serious damage to stadia, training grounds, and offices was reported by a dozen clubs and football organizations, and the data received from them was then collated by the Croatian Football Federation and was passed on to UEFA in the form of a donation application.

After considering the HNS’s application, we’re happy to announce that UEFA’s Fair Play and Social Responsibility Committee has decided to award the HNS with a 200 000 EUR donation, which will be used to help fund necessary repairs on football infrastructure in Zagreb. The HNS will forward the donated funds to clubs and football organizations that have submitted damage reports and whose facilities have not been repaired by the City of Zagreb.

The above funds will be donated through UEFA's natural disaster grants initiative, which UEFA uses to help clubs, football academies, and other football organizations recover from natural disasters.

The donated amount will be allocated in proportion to the repair costs that have been submitted by clubs and football organizations, with the beneficiaries of this donation being GNK Dinamo, the Zagreb Football Association, NK Sesvete, NK Rudeš, and NK Jarun. The facilities of the listed beneficiaries have not been repaired by the City of Zagreb to date. 

UEFA’s donation will cover half of the total amount needed to fully repair the facilities of the above beneficiaries, all of whom will sign donation agreements with the HNS and will commit to using the donated money exclusively for the purpose of repairing damage caused by the earthquake.

A small portion of the donation (less than 1%) will be used for repairs in the HNS Multimedia Center in Petrinjska Street, which has also suffered considerable damage during the earthquake.

The Croatian Football Federation has submitted a similar donation application to FIFA, which supports clubs and football organizations in natural disaster recovery through the FIFA Recovery Fund and whose response the HNS is still waiting to receive. 

It’s important to note that the HNS submitted the above donation applications towards UEFA and FIFA during the summer and fall of 2020, and that they are therefore intended to aid clubs and football organizations who suffered damage during the March 2020 earthquake.

In order to provide similar relief to clubs and football organizations in Petrinja and the adjacent counties, the Croatian Football Federation is currently collecting reports on damage to football infrastructure caused by the December 2020 earthquake. Upon receiving all of the relevant data and repairs cost estimates, the HNS will submit similar donation applications to UEFA and FIFA that will focus on clubs and football organizations in the wider Petrinja area.

UEFA will also help areas hit by the Petrinja earthquake through a donation to the Croatian Red Cross. As part of this initiative, a charity friendly match between Croatian and Slovenian football legends will be played in Petrinja on March 13. The Croatian Football Federation has also announced that it will make a direct donation to the Sisak-Moslavina Football Association to help fund repairs to local football infrastructure, while the Football Association of Slovenia will join the cause with a donation of their own.

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