The Croatian team’s favorite singer is a fascist salute away from the mainstream

Croatian singer Marko Perković, known as Thompson, is a national icon whose music includes fascist-era salutes to the WWII Ustashe regime, despite international bans and controversy. His songs, particularly 'Lijepa Li Si' and 'Za dom spremni,' are widely embraced by Croatian fans at sporting events, reflecting a broader failure in Croatia to confront its Ustashe past. Historian Hrvoje Klasić notes this reflects a trend in post-communist Europe of rebranding far-right figures as patriots.