Uefa charges Serbia and England after Under-21 match violence

11 years ago | Posted in: Sports | 696 Views

The ugly scenes which marred England Under-21s’ win in Serbia have resulted in charges for both teams.
The Football Association and the FA of Serbia (FSS) have been charged over the ‘improper conduct’ of their players at the end of the European Championship play-off, second leg.

England’s Danny Rose, who was sent off after the game, was the target for racist abuse from fans. And although the Serbian FA denied racism was a factor, Uefa appeared to disagree.

A statement said: ‘Regarding alleged racist chanting, Uefa will instigate proceedings against the FSS over the misconduct of their supporters.’

The FA’s general secretary Alex Horne had earlier urged Uefa to take the strongest action against the Serbian FA (FSS) and questioned whether England teams would play in the country again.

The FA has sent Uefa a full dossier of evidence, which includes video footage.

Horne said in a statement: ‘We were shocked and appalled by the disgraceful events that occurred in Serbia last night.

‘Our players and staff were subjected to racial abuse, violence as well as missiles being thrown at them. What occurred is inexcusable and not acceptable.

‘It is also clear that we must defend Danny Rose, who was sent off due to the frustration of being a target of racial abuse.

‘We must question the validity of sending a team to Serbia in the future.’

Earlier Rose had described the events which had led to his sending-off.

‘As I went off again there was monkey chanting, but the monkey chanting started long before I got sent off,’ said the Tottenham player.

‘After 60 minutes my head wasn’t really on the game. They have to be banned. I don’t understand how else they can learn from it.’

But the Serbian FA ‘absolutely refused’ to accept there were any instances of racism before or during the Euro 2013 play-off at Krusevac.

Their statement went on to claim that Rose ‘behaved in (an) inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner towards the supporters on the stands’.

Britain is giving its full backing to the FA’s complaints over alleged racist taunts and expects ‘tough sanctions’ if they are proved.

David Cameron said he was ‘appalled’ by the scenes and his spokesman added: ‘We are determined to stamp out racism internationally and at home.’

A YouTube clip filmed at the game appears to show monkey chants taking place after the final whistle, during a fracas in which Rose was shown a red card.

Jarrow MP Stephen Hepburn, a member of the all-party parliamentary football group, described the scenes as ‘disgusting’ and called for Serbia to be ‘banned until they get their house in order’.

ref: http://www.metro.co.uk

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