BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbian police filed charges Tuesday against 12 people, including two unidentified English players, over their part in an on-field brawl after an under-21 soccer match marred by alleged racial abuse.
Police in the town of Krusevac, where the match was played on Oct. 16, said that those charged “committed an act of violence during a sports event.”
Police said five Serbian and two English players were charged, in addition to assistant coaches from both teams. Serbia fans were also charged for igniting flares during the match.
Their names were not given, but England assistant coach Steve Wingley was seen taking part in the brawl, while Serbian players Nikola Ninkovic and Ognjen Mudrinski have already been suspended by the country’s FA for a year for the incidents.
If Serbia’s public prosecutors accept the police charges and take the matter to court, those accused could face prison sentences if convicted.
