Serbian FA, team captain react to qualifier incident

BELGRADE The Football Association of Serbia (FSS) denied on Wednesday that there were any racial insults against the English U-21 team after the match against Serbia. Linking the incident after the match to racism is completely unfounded and malevolent, the FSS stated. Serbian FA, team captain react to qualifier incident The release says none of the officials mentioned any racist incidents in their preliminary reports after the game. "We expect the human and sport culture of our football friends from England to win over spreading disinformation," the FSS said. England defeated Serbia 1-0 on Tuesday in the second leg of the play-offs for a place at the 2013 European championship. A fight between players and officials of both teams ensued after the match. The FSS states that the atmosphere was normal for the duration of the match, and that England's Danny Rose made indecent gestures towards Serbian fans at the end of the game. "And while most of the English players were celebrating the goal, their player with number 3 on his back, Danny Rose, made highly inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar gestures directed at the fans in the stands of the stadium in Krusevac, which is why he received a red card. It turns out, unfortunately, that was when the incident started and then unfolded," the release says. The FSS notes that it will start internal disciplinary proceedings, regardless of UEFA's further steps, and punish the culprits. "We are not going to accept as mitigating circumstances even the fact that our players and officials were provoked by Rose's actions, because violence has no place at sporting events," the FSS pointed out, stressing that it expected the same kind of an inquiry from England's Football Association. Officials of the Football Association of England filed a formal complaint with UEFA for racial insults against players and they believe the host is to blame for the incidents. Serbia's Milos Ninkovic, left, and England's Danny Rose, right (Beta/AP) Captain says he heard no racial slurs Captain of the Serbian national U21 football team Slobodan Medojevic Wednesday he heard no racial slurs against English players during the match in Krusevac, adding that the guests provoked the hosts after the match. Medojevic explained to Tanjug he was on the other side of the pitch when the match ended on Tuesday, but that he learned from his teammates later they had been provoked by the English players' gestures towards the crowd in Krusevac. England won 1-0 on Tuesday, in the second-leg of the play-offs for a place at the 2013 European championship, and a brawl between players and officials of both teams broke out after the match. Medojevic acknowledged that the impression from after the game was very bad and stressed that he was sorry more attention was now focused on the incident than on the two matches, which had been very competitive. "I feel bad for the incident. Still I do not think it was solely our fault, but that the English players are to blame as well," he noted. English team's Danny Rose, who was sent off after the final whistle, told BBC that fans at the stadium in Krusevac made monkey noises during the warm-up and every time he aproached the sideline, which upset him very much. "I was focused on the game during the match and I cannot claim with 100 percent certainty, but I really think there were no such shouts. Also, concerning the time before the match, when we were warming up, I am sure there were no racist insults," Medojevic stated. He pointed out the English had repeatedly mentioned racism before coming to Serbia, and that the fans would give them a nasty welcome. "Even if there had been some shouts, I believe it was a group of up to 5-6 people," Serbia's U-21 captain underscored. The English Football Association and the British authorities have called for penalties against Serbia's Football Association because of the incident in Krusevac. Five years ago, the Serbian Football Association had to pay "GBP 16,000", Tanjug reported, and added that it came "for a similar incident in another match against England, at the European championship in the Netherlands". Tanjug

Serbian FA, team captain react to qualifier incident

The release says none of the officials mentioned any racist incidents in their preliminary reports after the game.

"We expect the human and sport culture of our football friends from England to win over spreading disinformation," the FSS said.

England defeated Serbia 1-0 on Tuesday in the second leg of the play-offs for a place at the 2013 European championship. A fight between players and officials of both teams ensued after the match.

The FSS states that the atmosphere was normal for the duration of the match, and that England's Danny Rose made indecent gestures towards Serbian fans at the end of the game.

"And while most of the English players were celebrating the goal, their player with number 3 on his back, Danny Rose, made highly inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar gestures directed at the fans in the stands of the stadium in Krusevac, which is why he received a red card. It turns out, unfortunately, that was when the incident started and then unfolded," the release says.

The FSS notes that it will start internal disciplinary proceedings, regardless of UEFA's further steps, and punish the culprits.

"We are not going to accept as mitigating circumstances even the fact that our players and officials were provoked by Rose's actions, because violence has no place at sporting events," the FSS pointed out, stressing that it expected the same kind of an inquiry from England's Football Association.

Officials of the Football Association of England filed a formal complaint with UEFA for racial insults against players and they believe the host is to blame for the incidents.

Captain says he heard no racial slurs

Captain of the Serbian national U21 football team Slobodan Medojević Wednesday he heard no racial slurs against English players during the match in Kruševac, adding that the guests provoked the hosts after the match.

Medojević explained to Tanjug he was on the other side of the pitch when the match ended on Tuesday, but that he learned from his teammates later they had been provoked by the English players' gestures towards the crowd in Kruševac.

England won 1-0 on Tuesday, in the second-leg of the play-offs for a place at the 2013 European championship, and a brawl between players and officials of both teams broke out after the match.

Medojević acknowledged that the impression from after the game was very bad and stressed that he was sorry more attention was now focused on the incident than on the two matches, which had been very competitive.

"I feel bad for the incident. Still I do not think it was solely our fault, but that the English players are to blame as well," he noted.

English team's Danny Rose, who was sent off after the final whistle, told BBC that fans at the stadium in Kruševac made monkey noises during the warm-up and every time he aproached the sideline, which upset him very much.

"I was focused on the game during the match and I cannot claim with 100 percent certainty, but I really think there were no such shouts. Also, concerning the time before the match, when we were warming up, I am sure there were no racist insults," Medojević stated.

He pointed out the English had repeatedly mentioned racism before coming to Serbia, and that the fans would give them a nasty welcome.

"Even if there had been some shouts, I believe it was a group of up to 5-6 people," Serbia's U-21 captain underscored.

The English Football Association and the British authorities have called for penalties against Serbia's Football Association because of the incident in Kruševac.

Five years ago, the Serbian Football Association had to pay "GBP 16,000", Tanjug reported, and added that it came "for a similar incident in another match against England, at the European championship in the Netherlands".