CROATIA Law and Practice Contributed by: Lovro Badžim, Badžim Law Practice
if an event is cancelled. Contract law regulates rela - tionships between organisers, athletes, spectators, and third parties, including liability for damage. Sports law sets the framework for competitions and the rights and duties of athletes, clubs, and federations, while public-order legislation imposes safety obligations and sanctions related to crowd control and violence. Sports events are primarily organised by clubs and national federations, with umbrella bodies involved in major international competitions. Organisers are responsible for safety, ticketing, competition deliv - ery, and compliance with both legal requirements and sporting regulations. Participation is limited to properly registered athletes and clubs under federa - tion rules, while spectators’ access is subject to ticket conditions and security restrictions. Certain individu - als, particularly those convicted of serious offences, may be legally excluded from participating in or work - ing within the sports system. 3.2 Duty of Care and Liability In Croatia, organisers of sports events owe a clear legal duty of care to everyone involved, especial - ly spectators, athletes, and staff. This duty stems mainly from public-order legislation on preventing violence at sports events and from general contract and tort law. Organisers must assess the risk of dis - order or violence in advance and take all necessary preventive measures, in close co-operation with the police. Because sports events are considered activi - ties involving increased risk, organisers can be held objectively liable for damage suffered by spectators if safety has not been adequately ensured. In practical terms, this means providing an adequate number of stewards and security staff, complying with police instructions, enforcing access controls, and, if necessary, suspending or terminating an event in cases of serious crowd disorder. Failure to meet these obligations can result in administrative fines as well as civil liability for damages. The organiser’s liability can only be limited in nar - row circumstances. Responsibility may be reduced or excluded if the damage was caused exclusively by a third party or by the injured person themselves, and only if the organiser can prove that all legally
required safety measures were taken. Liability can - not be excluded for failures in security organisation, nor for damage caused intentionally or through gross negligence. Disclaimers printed on tickets have very limited legal effect and do not relieve organisers of responsibility for safety failures. Athletes may also be liable towards spectators in spe - cific situations. If an athlete intentionally or through serious misconduct causes harm to a spectator, they may be personally liable under civil law, potentially alongside the organiser. Such conduct can also trigger disciplinary sanctions under sports regulations and, in serious cases involving violence or injury, criminal liability. To prevent violence and disorder, Croatian law pre - scribes detailed safety measures: mandatory risk assessments, co-operation with police, stewarding services, ticket and access controls, bans on danger - ous items and intoxicated persons, technical meas - ures such as video surveillance, limits on ticket num - bers where required, and structured co-operation with supporter groups. Breaches of these obligations can lead to substantial fines for organisers and responsi - ble persons, while acts of violence may result in crimi - nal sanctions, including imprisonment. In Croatia, most sports bodies, whether clubs, fed - erations, or umbrella organisations – are established as associations. This applies across the system, from grassroots and amateur sport to national governing bodies. The main exception concerns professional clubs, which may also operate as sports joint-stock companies. Amateur and semi-professional clubs are almost always organised as associations. This form reflects their non-profit character: any surplus must be rein - vested into sporting activities such as training, com - petitions, or infrastructure. Associations are also eas - ier and cheaper to set up and manage, which suits clubs with limited resources, and they offer a level of 4. Corporate Structures 4.1 Legal Forms of Sporting Bodies
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