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During Tuesday evening's match between England and Serbia's under-21 national football teams, a racist incident was recorded. As reported by Reuters, black England national team member Danny Rose was racially abused by Serbian fans.
England won the match 1-0, with the goal being scored in the 90th minute. After celebrating the goal, Serbian reserve players ran onto the pitch and confronted the England team.
The English players reported being racially abused throughout the match, even before it started. Serbian fans greeted the British players with monkey noises.
Danny Rose, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, said that the monkey chants only started when the teams were warming up.
"It continued throughout the match. In the first half, it was bearable, but in the second half, I couldn't control myself. Every time I touched the ball, I heard those sounds, and when I went to throw the ball in, stones were thrown at me twice," Rose said.
Not able to tolerate the abuse any longer, Rose kicked the ball into the stands and was shown a red card by the referee.
However, the Serbian Football Association denied any allegations of racism and criticized Rose's behavior, suggesting he should be suspended.
The British government also intervened, demanding strict action to be taken against Serbia for the incident, with Prime Minister Robert Cameron calling for severe sanctions.
Rose agreed, stating that Serbia "must be disqualified."
Serbia has a history of problems with racist incidents involving their fans, and UEFA has warned the country in the past for repeated offenses.
In 2011, UEFA warned then-Serbian President Boris Tadic that the national team would be removed from international tournaments due to the behavior of Serbian fans.
In the 2012 European Championship qualifying match against Italy, Serbia had to play without spectators due to previous fan violence in 2010.
In that incident in Genoa in 2010, Serbian fans threw explosives onto the pitch and damaged the stadium's security fence.
In 2009, Serbian fans brutally attacked a Frenchman before a UEFA Europa League match between Belgrade's Partizan and Toulouse teams. Last year, a Serbian court sentenced 14 hooligans to prison for this crime.
In 2007, the Serbian FA was fined £16,500 for inappropriate fan behavior and racist attacks during an under-21 match against England.
