By Andrew Warshaw
October 24 – UEFA President Michel Platini has written back to British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson to express his dismay at the “disgraceful” scenes that followed England’s under-21 win in Serbia last week.
Robertson wrote to Platini immediately after the game, marred by racist chants from the stands and a mass brawl at the end of the match between English and Serbian players and officials, to protest at what occurred.
The English vehemently deny Serbia’s claims that there was no racism and Robertson was so appalled he contacted Platini to ask him to come down hard on the Serbians.
UEFA has opened an investigation in the chanting but has also charged both associations, rather than just the Serbians, for their players’ conduct after the match.
The English Football Association (FA) revealed that Platini has now replied to Robertson’s letter admitting his shock at the events that unfolded in the Kruševac.
“Michel Platini has written back to Hugh Robertson [and said] in unequivocal terms that they were disgraceful scenes,” FA general secretary Alex Horne said.
“His immediate reaction was that they were disgraceful scenes that we shouldn’t be seeing on a football pitch.”
As the war of words between the two nations intensified, Horne hit back at Serbia for appearing to release a video on YouTube which it said proved there was no unsportsmanlike cheering or insulting of players.
“It’s not what I have seen on the video clips I have seen and it is not what I have heard from eyewitness reports of multiple people who were on the trip,” said Horne speaking at an event to promote the FA’s 150th anniversary next year at Wembley Stadium.
“What the players went through out there is abhorrent.”
Last week Horne warned that England may think twice about playing in Serbia again but interestingly, Platini’s written response to Robertson did not appear to actually lay blame totally at Serbia’s feet.
According to what Horne told reporters, Platini didn’t actually name Serbia for causing the trouble which could be construed as UEFA, whose disciplinary panel will announce their sanctions on November 22, possibly also punishing England for their part in the proceedings, albeit far less stringently.
But Horne revealed: “We spoke to the match commissioner.
“He is supporting our view of events so it has all gone through UEFA channels.”
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