Column: Euro Soccer Riots

EURO Qualifier:  Serbia vs. Italy Called Off

GENOA-Italy – The European Championship qualifier between Serbia and Italy was meant to be played in tribute of four Italian soldiers who were killed fighting in Afghanistan. However the Serbs had other plans and the honorable EUFA gesture would be short lived. Serbian rioters violently cut through the protective mesh, threw flares onto the field, burnt flags and broke enclosed barriers.

After delaying the match 45 minutes and booing their own national anthem, the Serbian “Ultras”(passionate soccer fans) forced the EURO qualifier to be called off only 7 minutes into the game. Craig Thomson, the Scottish official, felt that the players' security could not be assured and goes on to say that it was now up to EUFA and their disciplinary procedures to deal with the matter.

In 2007, the control and disciplinary board awarded Sweden a 3-0 default win over Denmark in a similar case. This may prove to be disastrous for the Serbian Football Club for it would put them in a tight spot to qualify. Losing 3-1 to Estonia two weeks prior while leading 1-0 going into the half doesn't help matters. More over that match marked the debut of Vladimir Petrovic, who was called in when Randomir Antic was fired following a 1-1 draw at home with Slovenia last month. This only added to a crisis that began with a disappointing exit from the World Cup after doing exceptionally well and beating Germany 1-0.

The people of Serbia have been through a lot in the past century and this is most definitely reflected in their soccer matches. They fought several wars, experienced countless economic and social complications and the more recent succession of Kosovo adds to their troubles. It's as if the Serbs had just lost their Jerusalem and are powerless to do anything about it.

Many are skeptical to the legitimacy of the Kosovo war. 1.5 billion dollars was spent by the American government to eliminate the “Serbian threat”. Yet when the final count was in as to how many actual soldiers were killed, an astounding 457 men were killed. I'm sure the American tax payers will be happy to hear that they had successfully destroyed a total of 19 tanks and 21 artillery vehicles. However what is shocking to me, is the fact that the bombings had killed over 9,500 civilians including 112 bridges, 16 nuclear plants, 12 water purifying plants, 9 churches and 7 schools. This and many other things would leave Serbia with 68 billion dollars worth in repairs. As you can imagine, it would be frustrating to go through all that and lose what you were fighting for.

That said, a few ruined it for the Serbian people as a whole. A hundred or so Serbian Ultras attended the match and had a personal vendetta to suspend the match. They wanted to get back at Serbia's first-choice goaltender Vladimir Stojkovic. Prior to the Italy vs Serbia game, Stojkovic, had upset many Red Star Ultras by moving to the club team's fierce rival the Partizan in the off season. This in Europe is one of the biggest taboo's and is just not done. According to ANSA news agency, earlier that day, Stojkovic was hit by a flare that was thrown toward the team bus and taken to a local hospital. This was very minor compared to what team Ultras from around Europe have done in similar cases.

In the end this is a big disappointment to soccer fans from both Italy and Serbia. With both teams having uncharted potential and skill, many people were expecting a good game. It is clear that these Ultras should have never been allowed into the stadium with flairs and cutting tools, but behavior of this sort needs to be dealt with properly. If only a hundred or so could end a game early, what would a stadium of up to a 100,000 people have the ability to do?

Once more, what a shame for most Serbian people have taken a positive outlook towards Westernization and integrating themselves within the EU. Hopefully, this will not be a set back for a brighter future in Europe.