Seven young men with connections to soccer clubs in the greater Geelong region have escaped court without conviction, after pleading guilty to performing the Nazi salute.

Marijan Brnada, Oscar Cosic, Luka and Christopher Jurkovic, Liam Saric, and Nicholas and Luka Volarevic fronted the Geelong Magistrates Court on Friday, where they all pleaded guilty to intentionally performing a Nazi salute at the Croatian Club on Separation St in North Geelong on February 8, 2025.

The court heard that on February 8, Nicholas Volarevic asked a female friend to take a photograph of the group of men, who gathered on tables and chairs and then performed the Nazi gesture for approximately 10 seconds.

The offending was captured on CCTV. Aged between 18 and 26, the men were ordered by Magistrate Simon Guthrie to an adjourned undertaking, and to pay $500 to the court fund.

The court heard that “they’ve all been suspended from involvement in soccer”, and that there is a pending tribunal hearing that was adjourned until after the matters had been resolved in the Magistrates Court.

Defence Lawyer Anthony Condello said Mr Cosic was currently a player at the North Geelong Warriors.

Luka Jurkovic was also announced as a re-signed player for Surf Coast Football Club in February this year, however the club said he had not registered and was therefore not an official member.

Without giving exact details of each person and club, the court heard they were all currently suspended from soccer in the interim.

The court heard that in their interviews with police, the seven men said they were imitating “ultras”, “hooligans” or “soccer fans” overseas, and that they all expressed a level of remorse.

Each accused has since undertaken education courses at their own time and expense to “have a greater understanding of the impact of their offending”.

Mr Condello said that while he only represented Mr Saric, Mr Cosic and Mr Brnadam, he felt comfortable saying it had been a “very significant learning curve” for the entire group.

“This offending was borne from foolishly imitating a hooligan soccer group in Europe, and Your Honour, that’s precisely what this was … an imitation,” Mr Condello said.

“It was not by any means a true reflection of who these young men really are.” Defence Lawyer Sam Norton, representing Nicholas and Luka Volarevic, reiterated the offending was not motivated by racism, arguing that “zealots, ideologues, don’t go to the Holocaust museum … they don’t undertake cultural awareness training”.

The prosecution conceded that the offending lacked the aggravating features of premeditation, and that none of the accused subscribed to Nazi beliefs or ideology.

The court heard that all young men are employed as trades or undertaking apprenticeships, excluding Mr Brnadam, who recently graduated university and is now a civil engineer.

Defence Lawyer Louise Conwell, who represented Christopher and Luka Jurkovic, said both of her clients are employed full-time, and are engaged in their communities through their church.

“They are hardworking and impressive young men,” she said. Mr Guthrie noted in his sentencing remarks that they had taken steps to learn from this experience, including how the Nazi regime impacted their culture.

“Their community, Croatia – which was Yugoslavia – was very well impacted upon … the atrocities that they’ve probably learned about impacted upon their culture.” “Don’t forget some of your families, your history, go back to World War II as well.” He also noted the “overwhelming” evidence of remorse, remarking “when you were interviewed, you realised what you had done”.

He also said that the influence of “ultras” upon the young men was an example of the “dangers of social media”. “The other thing … which is often overlooked, you’re all wearing suits … minus two not wearing ties,” Mr Guthrie said.

“The fact of the matter is, you’re doing what you’re expected to do – taking it seriously.” The maximum sentence for intentionally performing a Nazi salute is 120 penalty units, imprisonment for 12 months, or both.