Italy’s clash with Serbia had to be abandoned this evening after rioting by Serbian fans in Genoa.
Kick-off had been delayed by 45 minutes due to clashes between Serbian fans and the Italian police and when the game eventually got underway, referee Craig Thomson was forced to abandon proceedings after only seven minutes after Serbian fans threw flares and fireworks on to the field of play.
Earlier, both teams were forced to return to the dressing rooms as police attempted to maintain order amongst the Serbian fans, who threw flares and bangers towards Italian supporters and onto the pitch.
When the teams eventually came back out, the Serbian players went towards their supporters and appealed for calm, a tactic that seemed to work initially and enabled Thomson to start the game.
Thomson was soon forced to stop the game, however, as the Serbian fans began to throw flares once more, one of which appeared to strike Italian goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.
Although no official announcement was made, Italian players started to leave the pitch and the majority of supporters made their way out of the stadium. The Italian players applauded the home supporters – who were well behaved throughout – before leaving the stadium.
Serbia are likely to forfeit the game as a result of the actions of their supporters, while UEFA may also impose further sanctions, such as having to play their home games at a neutral venue.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ podcast – listen to the latest episode now!
