© EuroFootball.com
Serbia will be removed from the European Championship qualifying tournament if the country's fans continue to pose security problems, UEFA president Michel Platini threatens.
The Frenchman delivered this ultimatum at a meeting with Serbian President Boris Tadic. It was his press service that distributed a statement stating that "violent and criminal behavior" will be punished by the suspension of the national team. Clubs from this country participating in European tournaments would also not be able to avoid sanctions.
Serbia gained notoriety last October during a qualifying match against Italy in Genoa when fans threw pyrotechnics onto the field, forcing the game to be stopped, and later escalated violence in the city streets, clashing with police. Serbia was given a technical defeat.
The match on March 25 in Serbia against Northern Ireland will also be held in an empty stadium, with only a few hundred visiting fans allowed in. They had planned their trip before the sanctions were imposed, so UEFA allowed them to attend the match.
