Livaja returned to Poljud, but did not train: Hajduk's disciplinary case enters a crucial phase
Marko Livaja appeared at Poljud on July 4, 2026, after Hajduk's first team returned from preparations, but he did not train with the rest of the squad. According to the club's official explanation, reported by Dalmatinski portal and Index, the captain met with sporting director Robert Graf, but did not join team training because he refused to apologize to the coaching staff and did not agree to complete the running session which, according to the club's interpretation, he should have completed while still in Bled. Hajduk stated that Livaja therefore trained individually in the gym. Such a development prolonged the tension between the Split club's most important player and the sporting leadership at a time when the team is preparing for the start of the European season. A new meeting between Marko Livaja, coach Gonzalo Garcia and Robert Graf has been scheduled for July 5, and the club described it as an attempt to find the best and final solution for the club and the player.
The case is especially sensitive because it does not concern only one disciplinary measure, but also the issue of the coaching staff's authority, the captain's status and the way in which Hajduk is entering the new competitive season. The club had earlier officially stated that Livaja was not on the transfer list and that it was counting on him, but the latest development shows that a formal return from suspension does not automatically mean a return to a normal working rhythm with the team. According to available information, Livaja was expected to apologize to the coaching staff after the conflict that began during preparations in Slovenia. Since that did not happen on July 4, the question of his status remained open. Until a possible new official decision, the most important thing is that the club has not confirmed any final sanction beyond the previously announced measure of removal from preparations.
From Bled to Poljud: how the dispute began
On June 28, Hajduk officially announced that Marko Livaja was leaving the preparations in Bled earlier than planned and returning to Split. In that first announcement, the club stated that the decision had been made because of a breach of the club's disciplinary regulations and disrespect for the rules set during the stay at the training camp. At the same time, it emphasized that Livaja is "invaluable" to the club, the fans and everyone who lives Hajduk, but also that the decision was made with the club's interest in first place. In this way, the club tried to separate the captain's sporting and emotional importance from the question of discipline, but the announcement itself opened numerous doubts about his future. In the days that followed, some media outlets published various information about a possible departure, but on June 30 Hajduk additionally clarified that such claims were not the club's official position.
According to the club statement published on June 30, the only measure that Hajduk had officially taken until then was the removal of Marko Livaja from the first team's preparations. The club then stated that the suspension applied only to the period of preparations and that Livaja would continue to train with the first team after the squad returned to Split. In the same statement, Hajduk emphasized that Livaja was not on the transfer list and that he was a player the club was counting on. That wording was meant to calm speculation about a possible contract termination or an urgent transfer outcome, but it did not remove the disciplinary problem that remained unresolved. It was precisely that unresolved part that reopened on July 4, when it became clear that the expected return to full work with the team had not happened.
What Hajduk stated about the disciplinary offense
In a more detailed explanation reported by Index, Hajduk stated that during the preparations there had been a breach of rules after the team's team-building event. According to that version, a total of eight players, including Marko Livaja, ignored the rule about going to their rooms after watching the Croatian national football team's match together. According to the same statement, the club decided to change the originally planned financial penalty into a milder measure, namely a running session. Hajduk stated that Livaja interrupted his running session, then addressed the sporting director and coach inappropriately and left training of his own accord. The club also added that on June 19 he had received a verbal warning for failing to appear at the official photo shoot for the new kit, and that he had refused to sign the disciplinary regulations for the 2026/27 season.
Such a club chronology explains why the return to Poljud turned into a continuation of the same dispute, and not the end of the suspension. According to the official response Dalmatinski portal received on July 4, Livaja met with the sporting director, but did not agree to two things the club considered prerequisites for normalizing relations: an apology to the coaching staff and completing the running session. This does not mean that the club announced a new formal suspension, but it does mean that the captain was not working with the rest of the squad at the moment when, according to the earlier announcement, he was supposed to return to full training. In professional sport, such a difference is not merely a technical issue. It directly affects the player's status in the dressing room, communication with the coach and preparations for the matches that follow within a very short period.
A captain whose numbers explain the weight of the decision
Marko Livaja is not an ordinary first-team player in Hajduk's hierarchy. According to the official profile on the club's website, the forward born in Split on August 26, 1993, wears the number 10, and has recorded 202 appearances, 104 goals and 61 assists for Hajduk. The same profile also lists his previous clubs, including Inter, Lugano, Cesena, Atalanta, Empoli, Rubin Kazan, Las Palmas and AEK. Those numbers explain why every move related to his status is much broader than a routine disciplinary note. In recent years, Livaja has been one of the main pillars of Hajduk's play, a recognizable face of the team and a player whose presence has a strong impact on the fan atmosphere around Poljud.
That is precisely why the club is trying to balance between two opposing demands. On the one hand, the sporting sector must protect the authority of coach Gonzalo Garcia and director Robert Graf, especially if, according to the club's interpretation, internal discipline was violated. On the other hand, Hajduk must take into account the sporting impact of a player who, by statistics and status, is among the team's key figures. The club therefore tried in its statements to leave room for reconciliation: it said that Livaja was not on the transfer list, that it was counting on him and that further decisions would be communicated through official channels. But the refusal to apologize and separate work in the gym show that the dispute can no longer be resolved only with general messages about the importance of the club and the player. A concrete agreement on the rules of further work is needed.
The European schedule increases the pressure on the decision
The time for calming the situation is very limited. According to Hajduk's official schedule, the first match of the first qualifying round of the Europa League against Slovakian side Žilina will be played on July 9 at Poljud, starting at 8 p.m., while the return leg in Žilina is scheduled for July 16 at 8:30 p.m. Index reported that Hajduk registered Livaja on UEFA's list of players for the match against Žilina, but that it remains open whether Gonzalo Garcia will use him and how the situation will develop. This is the key sporting dimension of the case: the coach must prepare the team for a European two-legged tie, while not knowing whether the captain will be a functional part of the dressing room. In qualifying rounds, where one bad day can change an entire season, such uncertainty carries real weight.
Hajduk's European path further increases the importance of a calm resolution. According to the published schedule and media reports about the draw, possible progression against Žilina would lead the Split club toward the second qualifying round of the Europa League, while elimination would mean continuing in the Conference League qualifiers. For a club that wants a stable season and a European autumn, the beginning of July is not an ideal time for an open conflict between the captain and the sporting leadership. Every training session before the match has value, especially when it comes to player integration, set pieces, automatisms and the psychological state of the team. That is why the question of Livaja's status is not only personal. It spills over into the preparation of the entire team and the public perception of the club before the first official match of the season.
Garcia, Graf and Livaja ahead of a conversation that could set the tone for the season
The meeting scheduled for July 5 should bring together the three key actors: Marko Livaja, coach Gonzalo Garcia and sporting director Robert Graf. According to the official explanation reported by the media, the goal of the talks is to find the best and final solution for the club and the player. Such wording indicates that Hajduk wants to avoid a prolonged state between suspension and return, because it suits neither the dressing room, nor the coaching staff, nor the player himself. If an agreement is reached, the expected outcome could be Livaja's return to work with the team under conditions the club considers acceptable. If there is no agreement, the case could grow into a more serious managerial and sporting crisis at Poljud.
For now, it has not been officially confirmed that Hajduk is considering a new sanction, contract termination or a transfer solution. In its previous statement, the club explicitly rejected claims that Livaja was on the transfer list, and the latest information points to an attempt at dialogue, not a definitive end to the cooperation. Still, professional football often breaks precisely in situations like this: when a player's importance, coaching authority, club rules and the pressure of results must be reconciled. Livaja has indebted Hajduk with his performances and status, but the club is now insisting on hierarchy and discipline. The outcome of the talks on July 5 will show whether those two interests can once again fit within the same framework or whether the tension will continue at the most unfavorable moment, only a few days before the European start against Žilina.
Sources:
- HNK Hajduk Split – official announcement on Marko Livaja leaving the preparations in Bled (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official notice on Marko Livaja's status and the claim that he is not on the transfer list (link)
- Dalmatinski portal – Hajduk's official explanation of why Livaja did not train with the team on July 4 (link)
- Index – overview of the latest development in the case, the club statement of June 30 and the context of the European match against Žilina (link)
- Dalmatinski portal – earlier information about the circumstances of Livaja's removal from preparations (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official profile of Marko Livaja with biographical data and his record in the white shirt (link)
- HNK Hajduk Split – official match schedule, including the two-legged tie between Hajduk and Žilina in July 2026 (link)