ALL of Serbia’s players and staff involved in Tuesday night’s controversial UEFA under-21 play-off against England have been asked to make formal statements.
The match, which England won 1-0 thanks to a lastminute goal from Sunderland’s Connor Wickham to complete a 2-0 aggregate triumph, was marred by unsavoury scenes at the final whistle with scuffling on the pitch amid accusations of racism from the stands towards England left-back Danny Rose.
The Serbian federation (FSS) has announced its disciplinary committee held an extraordinary session yesterday morning at which the request was made.
UEFA had announced charges against both the FSS and the English FA for the improper conduct of their players, and against the Serbs for ‘‘alleged racist chanting’’ by fans.
Tottenham boss Andre Villas- Boas has offered his support to Rose.
The defender is on loan at Sunderland but Villas-Boas confirmed he had spoken to the 22-year-old, who was sent off after the final whistle.
He said: ‘‘It’s extremely difficult for Danny. He was disappointed by that happening, by the situation which he had to live with, the atmosphere he was confronted with.
‘‘I told Daniel I support him completely in this situation.
He felt abused and this is obviously a serious matter which at the moment is in the hands of both FAs.’’
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here