Italy vs Serbia Crowd Incident Was Predictable
It was certainly just a matter of time for such an unfortunate incident to happen on Tuesday night at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa, although for the majority of the public, it came as a surprise. Just as much as no match preview in the news had referred to such a possible matter, no-one really among the public around the world had anticipated the Italy vs Serbia Euro 2012 qualifier to experience crowd trouble.
The focus of the public ahead of the encounter was purely on the football between two sides that were keen to take all three points for different reasons. But what happened in Genoa revealed something else altogether.
The beautiful game of football went overshadowed by angry supporters in the stands – best identified as hooligans. Actually, hooliganism isn’t a rare case in the sport – especially in Italy or in Eastern European countries where police officers have had a tough time dealing with violent fans. There was no exception of such incident in Genoa on Tuesday, October 12; but what keeps puzzling many football lovers around the world is how unexpected the situation seemed to occur.
However, the point of view for people in the Serbian and Italian FA is quite different as it can be understood through comments made by Karadzic and Massucci. Tomislav Karadzic, president of Serbia’s Football Association, was quoted as saying on national television after crowd trouble incident which took place on Tuesday night:
“There were signs that this would happen. These fans are just executors as the whole thing was planned in Belgrade. It’s shameful and embarrassing for the country.
“We actually encountered problems during training, before the match, and now this happened. I think the state must react.”
Italy’s Football Federation security chief, Roberto Massucci, was quick to throw the blame on authorities in Serbia as he declared in his accusation:
“Fans that are extremely dangerous shouldn’t even have arrived in Genoa. They should have been stopped by Serbian officials. Yes, we were aware that this game had a risk factor.
“But, a behavior of such aggressiveness is something we had not experienced for some time. From the traditional channels of communication with the Serbian police, we had not been indicated of the degree of danger of these supporters.”
Italy vs Serbia Crowd Incident – Why Did All That Actually Happen?
Is there any tangible reason as to why the crowd trouble came about at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa on Tuesday night? According to reports based on investigations, the man behind these ugly scenes in Italy is Ivan Bogdanov, who might soon been portrayed as the new “Ivan The Terrible” all over Europe and the rest of the world.
The 30-year-old is said to have a never ending criminal record and he is believed to be one of the leaders of an extremist group, Red Star Ultra aka Ultra Boys.
Ivan Bogdanov is also part of another extremist movement named “Movement 1389”, according to reports. Actually, the number "1389" can clearly be seen printed on his arm (as the picture shows it) among his many tattoos all over his body. The video below shows the hooligan – identified as Ivan Bogdanov – spreading violence and terror in the stadium during the Italy vs Serbia Euro 2012 qualifying match.
Some suggest that his provocative attitude at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris – which included a middle finger gesture and a burning of the Albanian flag – might have been meant only to incite a tough fight “for fun” against the Italian police. But in truth, for what reason actually did Ivan Bogdanov and co. mount all these ugly scenes?
An article from Goal.com featured on Foreign.peacefmonline.com tried to explain the situation based on assumptions. A part of it, which was referring to the intense problems between Serbians and Kosovans on the political front, read:
“US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently in Serbia as American push for Kosovo to become officially independent. Hillary and her husband – former American president – Bill are huge hate-figures in Serbia. This explains the burning of the Albanian flag during the game.”
Italy vs Serbia Crowd Trouble: How UEFA Will Deal With The Matter
Whatever was that led to Tuesday night's terrible crowd trouble incident in Genoa, UEFA will be wasting no time to treat the case where 14 injured people were also among the casualties. The next thing Serbia’s FA, players, and fans are now awaiting is the decision of UEFA upon this matter as we understand that the Serbian national football team is very much likely to be banned from participating in Euro 2012 and other upcoming major tournaments. A statement from Europe’s football governing body declared:
“UEFA confirmed today that it has immediately opened a full and thorough disciplinary investigation into the incidents of serious disorder witnessed at the match and the circumstances surrounding it.
“The sanctions that are available to the Control and Disciplinary Body can be found in the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations... and range from a reprimand or fine, up to a stadium closure or 'disqualification from competitions in progress and/or exclusion from future competitions'.”
Ironically, independent Montenegro – who used to be attached to the Serbian national team – are doing so well in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. They remain unbeaten with a remarkable record of four consecutive clean sheets after drawing 0-0 against giants England at Wembley on the night Serbia had to suspend their match against Italy. Montenegro surprisingly lead their group as qualification for Poland-Ukraine genuinely looks realistic.
Meanwhile, the same cannot be said for Serbia who couldn't go ahead with their match on Tuesday night. UEFA president Michel Platini also shared his comments with the media concerning the crowd trouble incident as AFP quoted the French man as saying:
“I’m waiting for the results of the inquiry, and I reiterate that UEFA has zero tolerance to violence in stadiums. The cooperation of the authorities is key to combat this scourge, and I’ll ask for that at the highest level in the countries touched by this problem.”
Now just as Italy are not excluded from countries affected by hooliganism, they might not run away without sanctions as Rob Faulkner, a spokesman of UEFA, explained while speaking to Italian media ANSA:
“We cannot yet say anything with relation to the investigation which will be carried out by the Disciplinary Commission. However, I remind you that our regulations provide not only for a sanction against premeditated actions by either set of fans, but also a co-responsibility of the host federation for not having adequately guaranteed public order.”
So where is the future of Italian and Serbian football heading? Will Serbian players have to pay for something that was done by ultras who constituted only a portion of the away Serbian fans at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris? Time will tell as “the proposed date for the meeting of the control and disciplinary body to hear this case is Thursday 28 October,” according to UEFA.
