Serbia "working on strategy against hooliganism"

BELGRADE Ivica Dacic says a working group to draft a strategy and action plan against hooliganism and violence at sporting events will be set up in the next ten days. Dacic told a news conference that the working group will draw up the strategy and action plan by the end of May, and six months later, when the first results show, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will decide whether Serbian football clubs and national teams will be banned from participating in international competitions. Serbia "working on strategy against hooliganism" The working group will be comprised of representatives of a number of institutions, such as from the Ministries of Youth and Sport, Education, Justice, directors of police and Security Information Agency (BIA), the president of the Supreme Court of Cassation, the deputy state prosecutor, Dacic said. The working group will be joined by representatives of Serbia's football and other associations, and by representatives of UEFA. Dacic said that he talked Thursday to UEFA President Michel Platini, who sent a letter to the Serbian government a few weeks ago calling on it to become more committed to fighting violence at sporting events and to back the efforts by the Football Association of Serbia in tackling the problem. “Yesterday I had difficult talks with UEFA representatives concerning violence at sporting events, which poses the threat of exclusion of our clubs from the world and European competitions,” Dacic said. Dacic said that he himself will not be dealing with the issue, but he wants to lend support to the efforts in his capacity as prime minister. “Serbia is not the only country that has had problems with hooliganism and we need to establish clear rules that say that when someone jumps over the fence onto the field, they will go to jail. After we do that, I do not think that anybody will dare do something like that as easily as before,” said Dacic. (FoNet, file) Tanjug

Serbia "working on strategy against hooliganism"

The working group will be comprised of representatives of a number of institutions, such as from the Ministries of Youth and Sport, Education, Justice, directors of police and Security Information Agency (BIA), the president of the Supreme Court of Cassation, the deputy state prosecutor, Dačić said.

The working group will be joined by representatives of Serbia's football and other associations, and by representatives of UEFA.

Dačić said that he talked Thursday to UEFA President Michel Platini, who sent a letter to the Serbian government a few weeks ago calling on it to become more committed to fighting violence at sporting events and to back the efforts by the Football Association of Serbia in tackling the problem.

“Yesterday I had difficult talks with UEFA representatives concerning violence at sporting events, which poses the threat of exclusion of our clubs from the world and European competitions,” Dačić said.

Dačić said that he himself will not be dealing with the issue, but he wants to lend support to the efforts in his capacity as prime minister.

“Serbia is not the only country that has had problems with hooliganism and we need to establish clear rules that say that when someone jumps over the fence onto the field, they will go to jail. After we do that, I do not think that anybody will dare do something like that as easily as before,” said Dačić.