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Serbia could pay heavy price for Genoa violence

Serbian hooligans were widely condemned on Wednesday as UEFA began an investigation that could see the Balkan country kicked out of football.

Violence has marred Serbian football grounds for two decades and Tuesday’s scenes in Genoa where visiting fans launched flares at Italy supporters and tried to cause a riot have cast doubt over Serbia’s future in the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Tuesday’s Group C match was abandoned after six minutes when flares landed near players and amongst home supporters. The match had already been delayed for 35 minutes because of crowd disorder and there were clashes outside the ground.

Serbia’s goalkeeper was also abused before the match by his own fans and a flare was hurled at the players’ bus.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said he feared a major tragedy and former Serbia striker Savo Milosevic believes they could find themselves in isolation after years of neglect.

UEFA issued a statement saying it had opened a “full and thorough disciplinary investigation into the incidents of serious disorder” in the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Once all the evidence has been gathered UEFA’s Control and Disciplinary Body has a range of sanctions available, ranging from a large fine to disqualification from competitions in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions.

The Serbia FA has called an emergency executive board meeting for Friday but few senior soccer figures in the country would be surprised if UEFA do not hand down a severe punishment at its Control and Disciplinary hearing on October 28.

Milosevic, Serbia’s most capped international with 102 appearances, said Serbia had already hit the end of the road to the finals in Poland and Ukraine, one way or the other.

“This is one of the darkest days in the history of Serbia’s football and the punishment is likely to be so drastic that the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign is as good as over for us,” he told B92 television after seeing the scenes.

“The government has been completely disinterested in sports and its problems over the last 20 years, hence Serbia is now paying a heavy price for the failure to tackle hooliganism swiftly and decisively,” he said.

With the violence resulting in 17 arrests, including the ringleader, Serbia are unlikely to get away with a hefty fine.

The Genoa riot is the latest violence by Serbian fans which has plagued domestic soccer for 20 years but until Tuesday had not been exported on such a large scale.

Prandelli said he feared the worst when he saw the away fans clash with riot police and hurl flares on to the pitch after they attacked Serbia’s team bus on its way to the stadium.

“When I saw the ultras trying to break the Perspex glass (between the Serbian and Italian fans) and saw terrorised people fleeing, I really was scared,” Prandelli said. “In a situation like that, it takes little to turn it into a tragedy.”

Serbian police said they had arrested five fans upon their overnight return to the country, adding they would wait for the outcome of legal action to be taken against those who have been detained in Italy.

“First we have to see how the issue will end in Italy and what offences they will be charged with, to determine whether we have legal grounds to press the same charges in Serbia,” Interior Minister Ivica Dacic told Belgrade’s Beta news agency.

“Police here will investigate how these people were able to buy match tickets,” he said.