Incidents in Belgrade during football derby

BELGRADE The rampage in the stands during a football derby in Belgrade on Sunday that injured a number of people "was not entirely spontaneous." This is according to criminologist Zlatko Nikolic, who spoke for B92 on Monday. Incidents in Belgrade during football derby The Ministry of Interior said earlier that it record "a number of incidents in Belgrade that occurred before and during the football derby between Red Star and Partizan," and that 41 people were taken into custody. During the incidents "a number of persons were seriously and lightly injured, among them eight policemen," Tanjug reported late on Sunday. The mild reaction of the authorities surprised many in attendance at the stadium. "According to me, that was not an incident by hooligans, it was like a prearranged set design, and the confirmation of that is that only firefighters intervened with some miserable hoses to eliminate smoke. The game was stopped for just that long, it means that the (club) managements knew what was going on, and unfortunately, I have to claim that the value system of the management of both club is the the same as of those who burned that," Nikolic was quoted as saying. He added that he was "afraid of what stands behind yesterday's burning," and that "a serious reaction of the state could only be caused a major tragedy at a sports event." State Secretary at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Nenad Borovcanin believes that the incidents "violated the integrity of sport," which he said was due to the "wrongly set up system" that, in his words, needs to be "reinstalled." "It is important that the politicians in sports clubs, their friends, their so-called trusted people, and others, if they are already there, try to help the sport system and not some other interests, and it is important that politicians, especially those who are the carriers of authority or participants in the government, do not communicate, do not flirt with leaders of supporter groups that likely feel safer after talking with them, and feel they can do all this," said Borovcanin. This official also gave as an example of a way to address the problem or hooliganism "the application of the English model." "Legally, Serbia has copied much from the English, but it seems that the law is not enforced sufficiently. Perhaps the reason is precisely the influence of politics and personal interests in the clubs," he said. (Beta/AP) B92

Incidents in Belgrade during football derby

The Ministry of Interior said earlier that it record "a number of incidents in Belgrade that occurred before and during the football derby between Red Star and Partizan," and that 41 people were taken into custody.

During the incidents "a number of persons were seriously and lightly injured, among them eight policemen," Tanjug reported late on Sunday.

The mild reaction of the authorities surprised many in attendance at the stadium.

"According to me, that was not an incident by hooligans, it was like a prearranged set design, and the confirmation of that is that only firefighters intervened with some miserable hoses to eliminate smoke. The game was stopped for just that long, it means that the (club) managements knew what was going on, and unfortunately, I have to claim that the value system of the management of both club is the the same as of those who burned that," Nikolić was quoted as saying.

He added that he was "afraid of what stands behind yesterday's burning," and that "a serious reaction of the state could only be caused a major tragedy at a sports event."

State Secretary at the Ministry of Sports and Youth Nenad Borovčanin believes that the incidents "violated the integrity of sport," which he said was due to the "wrongly set up system" that, in his words, needs to be "reinstalled."

"It is important that the politicians in sports clubs, their friends, their so-called trusted people, and others, if they are already there, try to help the sport system and not some other interests, and it is important that politicians, especially those who are the carriers of authority or participants in the government, do not communicate, do not flirt with leaders of supporter groups that likely feel safer after talking with them, and feel they can do all this," said Borovčanin.

This official also gave as an example of a way to address the problem or hooliganism "the application of the English model."

"Legally, Serbia has copied much from the English, but it seems that the law is not enforced sufficiently. Perhaps the reason is precisely the influence of politics and personal interests in the clubs," he said.