page_title: HNK Hajduk Split
section_title: Champions League and financial breakdown
hierarchical_section_title: HNK Hajduk Split / History / Champions League and financial breakdown
caption_attribution_description: End of the match between Hajduk Split - Dinamo Zagreb. 2-2 after very rough game that saw Hajduk Split ending with ten players at the end.
context_page_description: Hrvatski nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split or simply Hajduk, is a professional Croatian football club founded in 1911, and based in the city of Split. Since 1979, the club's home ground has been the 35,000-seat Stadion Poljud. The team's traditional home colours are white shirts with blue shorts and blue socks. Hajduk is the most popular football club in Croatia, but also in neighbouring countries as well. A lot of support comes from abroad, not only from Croatian natives, but foreign fans as well.
  The idea to found a football club was had by group of Split students in a famous tavern known as U Fleků in Prague while studying there and after observing players of Slavia and Sparta Prague. When arriving back home to Split, they started founding the club and Hajduk was born on 13th February 1911. Between the early 1920s and 1940, Hajduk regularly participated in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national championship. Following World War II and the formation of the Yugoslav league system in 1946, Hajduk went on to spend the entire SFR Yugoslavia period at the top level.
context_section_description: In the first four years of the HNL (the Croatian football league), Hajduk became far more successful than rivals Dinamo from Zagreb, winning three league titles, two domestic cups and two supercups, with the 1994–95 season still standing as the most successful since playing in independent Croatia. Hajduk entered that year's UEFA Champions League with a mix of young upcoming stars Milan Rapaić, Ivica Mornar, Tomislav Erceg, Goran Vučević and experienced players such as Igor Štimac, Zoran Vulić, Aljoša Asanović and Tonči Gabrić returning to assist them. After entering the group stage, Hajduk finished second behind Benfica, ahead of Steaua București and Anderlecht, before losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Ajax (0–0, 0–3). Domestically, the club won its first and (as of yet) last double crown. However, even though the team was performing well, the club was financially poorly managed, accumulating a massive financial loss that led to blocking of club's account.
  For the next five years, Hajduk stood in the shadow of wealthier and politically privileged rivals Dinamo Zagreb, and the Champions League was no longer realistically within reach. Between 1995 and 2000, the club won zero trophies. After continuous domestic and European failures, Hajduk fans began to seek the dismissal of administration officials and circulated the story about the possible privatization of the club, which at that time did not happen. While arch-rivals Dinamo (then called "Croatia Zagreb") won titles, Hajduk had problems with the registration of players for the league. Dissatisfaction among the fans grew so much that some broke into the club premises, causing a change in leadership and promises of new beginnings. After the death of the first Croatian president Franjo Tuđman, whom many saw as heavily preferring and financing Croatia Zagreb, 2001 saw Hajduk become champions once more after a memorable 4–2 win against Varteks in Varaždin, a match attended by far more Hajduk fans than locals. Unfortunately, financial conditions in the club were still dire, and the club was often on the precipice of bankruptcy and collapse.
  And yet, even if operating with blocked account, chairman Branko Grgić boosted with promises of attractive signings and trophies. Although Hajduk did manage to win Cup in 2003 and league titles in 2004 and 2005, as well as sign Dinamo's promising young captain Niko Kranjčar and their legendary manager Miroslav Blažević, when finances and politically driven leadership finally broke down, so did the club's results. Hajduk spent rest of the decade finishing behind its rival, with numerous coaching and management changes and reorganizations, players of dubious quality and mediocre international performances, worst of which came after being eliminated by Shelbourne and 0–5 home loss to Debrecen. The election of new chairman Mate Peroš in June 2008, upon which he changed the entire professional staff and reorganized the administration, brought only temporary relief. Hajduk achieved first away win against Dinamo after five-and-a-half years (2–0), but again finished behind their arch-rivals, and reached Croatian Cup finals only to lose to Dinamo once again in a two-game thriller which saw two 3–0 wins by both teams, before Dinamo won 4–3 in penalty shootout. More importantly, the club's finances did not radically change until next season, when Hajduk became joint stock company owned by the City of Split. Even if financially secure, newly appointed chairman Joško Svaguša continued the policy of expensive signings and unsustainable expenses to regain the club's former glory. In 2010, Hajduk won the Croatian Cup, its first trophy in five years, and later managed to qualify for the group stage of 2010–11 UEFA Europa League which was the first time since 1994 club secured a place in the group stages of UEFA competitions. Home wins against Dinamo București (3–0), Unirea Urziceni (4–1) and Anderlecht (1–0) were, however, just a temporary reminiscence of former successes.
  Notable players of 90's and 00's include goalkeepers Stipe Pletiko
caption: A Hajduk-Dinamo match in Split
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