© EuroFootball.com
The first division club "Borac" from Čačak, Serbia, may be punished with a fine and prohibited from playing matches in their own stadium for a period of time due to a racist attack by the team's fans against their own player.
Such sanctions are looming over the club after fans shouted racist chants at black player Mike Tamwanyera during Saturday's match. A representative of the Serbian Football Association (FSS) stated that the club could be fined between 60,000 and 600,000 local currency dinars (approx. 730 to 7,300 euros) and have to play between one to six matches in an empty stadium.
"The club's board has three days to appeal this decision, and the football association will announce the final decision on Thursday," said league general secretary Miodrag Janković on Monday.
Almost 40 fans of "Borac" were arrested for the racist outburst against the player from Zimbabwe, M. Tamwanyera, who transferred to the club from neighboring team "Javor Ivanjica" during the off-season. Eight of the fans were detained and are charged with inciting racial hatred, facing up to five years in prison.
M. Tamwanyera himself promises to stay with the "Borac" team, but was shocked: "I have never been discriminated against before for being black. I'm worried about my wife and kids. They used to come to every match when I played in Ivanjica, but what happened here surprised me."
"I was welcomed well in the club, and I get along with my neighbors. Some of them spend the whole day playing with my son Nikola, who I gave a Serbian name because I really like it here," said the player.
