CHILDREN IN THE STANDS IN THE MATCH WITH BULGARIA

UEFA Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the FA of Serbia for insulting chants and other incidents at the match with Montenegro, which was played on 17th October at the Rajko Mitić stadium. The sanction includes one match behind closed doors, which means that on 19th November in Leskovac, when Serbia will play Bulgaria as its last round match of the European Championship qualifiers, only children under 14 will be able to enter the stadium, and all this organized by the FA of Serbia (primary schools and football school from the Serbian territory).

At the same time, FA of Serbia was fined 89, 250 euros, which makes the total fine of 144, 250 euros, and due to riots in the stands only at the last two matches of the national team in 2023. As a reminder, and thanks to the efforts of the FA of Serbia management and understanding of the UEFA Appeal Committee, the previous sanction of two matches behind closed doors was reduced after an appeal, i.e. one match to be played behind closed doors, with the condition that the same or similar offences are not to be repeated for two years.

Unfortunately, and despite all preventive and security measures taken by the FAS (every ticket holder had to submit a passport and an ID card copy to individualize responsibility), as well as the excellent cooperation with the FA of Montenegro in the match preparation, the same offence was repeated, namely offensive chants that UEFA defined as racism. Due to the importance of the upcoming match with Bulgaria, FAS will use all legal means and immediately lodge an appeal and try to mitigate the sanction. Fully aware of the fact that violations were committed by our fans and that we were subject to a probationary sanction, we will ask for a suspension or mitigation of the latter, in order to create the best possible atmosphere at the newly built stadium in Leskovac and give full support to our national team.

Regardless of the outcome of the appeal and we will certainly witness a full house at the stadium in Leskovac, because the regulations allow the presence of the youngest fans up to 14 years of age. Lessons have been learned from the previous experiences in the matches with Lithuania and Hungary and with a nice choreography for the match with Bulgaria we are convinced that our team will have a great atmosphere on its last step towards Germany.