BELGRADE, Serbia – Serbia's sports minister is urging the formation of a high-level task force to combat fan violence following alleged racist chanting and brawls at an ill-tempered under-21 soccer match against England.
Alisa Maric says that "recent events call for urgent action." She also urges restraint in punishing Serbia for the incidents.
Serbia was charged by UEFA with misconduct over racial abuse its fans allegedly hurled at England players from before kickoff in Krusevac on Tuesday. Both federations also face sanctions over a brawl between the teams that erupted after the match.
The Serbian soccer federation has denied allegations of racism during the match, but England insists its players were subjected to racial abuse, missiles and provocation throughout the game.
England says it might stop sending teams to Serbia.
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