LN Clashes With
Soccer Club

At least that’s what Vlado Ivankovic of Zagreb-based Adria Entertainment told one of the country’s biggest daily papers.

“[It] caused us incredibly big problems with the management of one of the world’s greatest performers, Roger Waters, as well as with our partner Live Nation and incredible additional charges,” he told Vecernji List, claiming the soccer team had breached the contract relating to the use of the stadium. “It is very likely that, just because of this scandal, Live Nation will begin to avoid Croatia after this season,” he said.

Adria, which has had LN as a minority shareholder since the beginning of last year, had hired Hajduk Split’s 40,000-capacity Poljud Stadium for Waters’ performance of “The Wall.”

However, the setup was interrupted for Split to play two matches in the lead up to the show. “I thought it was goner,” Waters tour producer Andrew Zweck told Pollstar, saying it was only the efforts of Belgian staging firm Stageco that ensured the twice interrupted build was completed on time.

The setup for “The Wall” needs a minimum of five days and there are currently three productions leap-frogging their way around Europe.

Split chairman Marin Brbic is counterclaiming that Adria was two months late in paying a deposit for the ground and the Waters concert only went ahead due to the soccer club’s “goodwill.”

The row over the Split stadium may not be the worst of Adria’s problems. Croatian tax records show Lupa and AM Lupa Promotion, two of Adria’s forerunners, have accumulated tax debts of around 20 million kunas ($3.4 million).

It’s believed to relate to a U2 show in Zagreb in 2009. The company has subsequently changed its name from Lupa to Adria Zabava. Ivankovic claims his company has since won a court case against the tax authority regarding the outstanding amount and is waiting to hear if the taxmen will appeal the verdict.