UEFA fines Football Association of Serbia €129,500 and bans fans for one home game
Disciplinary measures follow Nations League incidents; the home match with Germany will be played with restricted attendance.
UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings and imposed a series of sanctions on the Football Association of Serbia following incidents during Nations League fixtures, with total fines for three matches amounting to €129,500. The association was also hit with a stadium attendance sanction that will affect Serbia's next home game against Germany.
Details of the rulings and their immediate effects
The most notable episode occurred in the Serbia–Netherlands match in Belgrade, when a group of children on the north stand displayed a banner dedicated to Ratko Mladić and chanted his name. Ratko Mladić has been convicted of the Srebrenica genocide, crimes against humanity and other war crimes.
UEFA reviewed incidents from the home game versus Greece, played on 24 September, and the Netherlands match on 27 September in Belgrade, as well as events at the away fixture in the Netherlands on 4 October in Eindhoven.
The disciplinary measures include a €50,000 fine for racist and discriminatory conduct by supporters. In addition to monetary penalties, UEFA imposed a spectator ban for one home match — a sanction that means the forthcoming meeting with Germany will be staged under special attendance conditions.
Further fines include €22,500 for messages UEFA considered unacceptable at sporting events, €2,000 for the use of pyrotechnics, and €15,000 for pitch invasions. For the October 4 game in Eindhoven, the association faces a €20,000 fine plus an additional €20,000 for displaying a political message, and it will be barred from selling tickets to its supporters for the next away match.
When the individual amounts are combined, the total bill for the three matches reaches €129,500 — a sum that UEFA says reflects the cumulative nature of breaches across several fixtures and that will have direct consequences for the atmosphere and organisation of Serbia’s upcoming matches.
Photo: press material from the event
