English duo charged by Serbia police

Published on 31/10/2012 00:00

SERBIAN police last night filed charges against 12 people, including two unidentified England players, over their part in a pitch brawl after an under-21 football match marred by alleged racial abuse.

Police in the town of Krusevac, where the match was played on 16 October, said those charged “committed an act of violence during a sports event”.

Police said five Serbia and two England players were charged, in addition to assistant coaches from both teams. Serbia fans were also charged for igniting flares during the match. Their names were not given, but England assistant coach Steve Wingley was seen taking part in the brawl, while Serbian players Nikola Ninkovic and Ognjen Mudrinski have already been suspended by the country’s FA for a year for the incidents. If Serbia’s public prosecutors accept the police charges and take the matter to court, those accused could face prison sentences if convicted. But the police action took the FA by surprise, as it said “it has not received any formal notification of any charges filed by the Serbian authorities”.

“We have not been made aware of any of the names of individuals connected with these charges and we therefore await further details and formal communication on these matters,” the FA said in a statement. “The FA reiterates its position of full support for all players and staff caught up in the appalling scenes in Serbia two weeks ago.

“We want to reassure those concerned that we are committed to doing everything necessary to protect them whilst also offering support to individuals and their families.”

Players and officials from both teams clashed on the pitch following the final whistle amid accusations of racist abuse from the stands toward England defender Danny Rose, who was sent off for kicking a ball into the stands. The Serbian team has accused Rose of triggering the incidents after the final whistle with inappropriate gestures toward the crowd. He said he was racially abused with monkey chants throughout the match.

England won 2-0 to qualify for the U21 European Championship. After the incident, FA General Secretary Alex Horne said Rose had been the target of racial abuse and threatened to refuse sending teams to play in Serbia in the future.