Albania and Serbia to be punished by Uefa for 'inexcusable' violence says president Michel Platini
Uefa president Michel Platini condemns shocking actions in abandoned Group I encounter, which is unlikely to be replayedBy Ben Rumsby
Serbia were facing the threat of playing matches behind closed doors on
Wednesday after Uefa confirmed they and Albania would be charged over the
shameful brawl that forced the abandonment of their European Championship
qualifier.
European football’s governing body confirmed it had received reports on
Tuesday night’s disorder from Premier League referee Martin Atkinson, its
match delegate, observer and security officer, and had passed them on to its
disciplinary committee.
A case was poised to be opened against both teams for the
politically-motivated violence that erupted when a radio-controlled drone
flew a ‘Greater Albania’ flag over the pitch.
Serbia have a history of crowd trouble, which could result in them playing
more than one home match behind closed doors, starting with next month’s
Group I clash with Denmark.
They and Albania, whose refusal to return to the pitch after Atkinson
suspended the goalless tie resulted in it being abandoned, are also likely
to be hit with hefty fines.
Related Articles
-
-
Serbia v Albania abandoned following brawl
15 Oct 2014 -
Albania players 'physically attacked' by stewards
15 Oct 2014 -
Why Serbia v Albania had to be abandoned
15 Oct 2014 -
Dutch papers want Hiddink out
15 Oct 2014
Uefa’s president, Michel Platini, said: “Football is supposed to bring people
together and our game should not be mixed with politics of any kind. The
scenes in Belgrade last night were inexcusable.”
Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, added: “Football should never be used for political messages. I strongly condemn what happened in Belgrade last night.”
Telegraph Sport has learnt that Tuesday night’s encounter is unlikely to be replayed, with Uefa instead determining the official result of the match.
The return fixture in just under a year’s time will go ahead but could take place at a neutral venue, rather than the Albanian city of Elbasan.
A decision on what sanctions both countries face will be taken no later than next Thursday, with each given seven days to respond to any charges.
Albania could be sanctioned over the drone if it is proven that the brother of the country’s prime minister was controlling it, as claimed by the Serbian Interior Ministry.
Olsi Rama denied this, or that he had been arrested over the incident, claiming he had only been subjected to a brief search.
As well as the mass brawl and pitch invasion involving players, officials and supporters, Tuesday night’s match saw smoke bombs and other missiles hurled onto the pitch.
Relations between Serbia and Albania have been fragile over Kosovo – a former Serbian province – and the ethnic Albanian minority in southern Serbia, who often demand more autonomy.
However, neither of the countries’ football associations asked Uefa to keep them apart in the Euro 2016 qualifying draw – something it did do with Spain and Gibraltar, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
The governing body would have separated Serbia and Albania had there been an ongoing armed conflict between them or the absence of normal diplomatic relations.
Ironically, Tuesday’s violence erupted just days before Edi Rama was due to become the first Albanian president to visit Serbia for 68 years.
After the draw was made, each association asked Uefa to sanction the banning of away supporters at both group games, something it agreed to facilitate.
Fifa’s president, Sepp Blatter, added: “Football should never be used for political messages. I strongly condemn what happened in Belgrade last night.”
Telegraph Sport has learnt that Tuesday night’s encounter is unlikely to be replayed, with Uefa instead determining the official result of the match.
The return fixture in just under a year’s time will go ahead but could take place at a neutral venue, rather than the Albanian city of Elbasan.
A decision on what sanctions both countries face will be taken no later than next Thursday, with each given seven days to respond to any charges.
Albania could be sanctioned over the drone if it is proven that the brother of the country’s prime minister was controlling it, as claimed by the Serbian Interior Ministry.
Olsi Rama denied this, or that he had been arrested over the incident, claiming he had only been subjected to a brief search.
As well as the mass brawl and pitch invasion involving players, officials and supporters, Tuesday night’s match saw smoke bombs and other missiles hurled onto the pitch.
Relations between Serbia and Albania have been fragile over Kosovo – a former Serbian province – and the ethnic Albanian minority in southern Serbia, who often demand more autonomy.
However, neither of the countries’ football associations asked Uefa to keep them apart in the Euro 2016 qualifying draw – something it did do with Spain and Gibraltar, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
The governing body would have separated Serbia and Albania had there been an ongoing armed conflict between them or the absence of normal diplomatic relations.
Ironically, Tuesday’s violence erupted just days before Edi Rama was due to become the first Albanian president to visit Serbia for 68 years.
After the draw was made, each association asked Uefa to sanction the banning of away supporters at both group games, something it agreed to facilitate.
No comments:
Post a Comment