FEARS of Euros aggro at England’s opening game soared yesterday after 8,000 Serbian fans tried to storm their own team’s training session in Germany.
Flares were hurled at police forced to tackle a pitch invasion at the Serbian team’s base – four days before their curtain raiser clash with the Three Lions.
Trouble erupted as 8,000 pyro-wielding Serbs surrounded the Rosenau Stadium in Augsburg on Wednesday evening.
Clashes with security staff ensued as just 3,000 were allowed entry, with thousands more locked outside.
Inside the stadium one young fan was led away by officers after he tried to get onto the pitch as the Serbian team were put through their paces.
His arrest sparked a chorus of angry boos and a banned flare was thrown towards police, landing on the running track just yards from the players.
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Such scenes are unheard of at tournament training sessions – and revealed the fanatical fervour of Serbian supporters amid fears of clashes with English rivals.
The training session continued but ended soon after the incident as police restored order.
German cops fear up to 500 Serbian Ultra hooligans could trigger mayhem at England’s first Euro 2024 match in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday – and have designed the game “high risk”.
Police have banned strong booze and forced 62,000 fans to drink only shandy or low alcohol beer at Veltins Arena.
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Security has also been beefed up with around 1,000 police drafted in to keep order amid concerns of clashes in unsegregated seating inside the stadium.
It is understood British police “spotters” and plain-clothed officers will also be on hand to watch England fans at every match.
German police are most worried about hard core Serb Ultras including many who support Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin.
One Serbian fan said: “On the pitch you will probably win but off the pitch it’s not a contest. We aren’t afraid of anyone.
“We learned everything we know from the Italians and the English but they are no match for strong Serbian men.”
Serbian ultra groups, such as Headhunters and Gravediggers, are among the most feared football fans in Europe.
Their most notorious soccer savage has been named as Ivan ‘the Terrible’ Bogdanov – a tattooed hardman known to have terrorised players.
Ahead of a Euros 2012 qualifier in Genoa, Italy, Serbian fans attacked their own team’s bus, with Bogdanov among those who made it inside.
He was alleged to have confronted goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovicfor for committing the unforgivable crime of switching from Bogdanov’s team, Red Star Belgrade to rival club Partizan.
The game was later abandoned due to the trouble, Italy awarded a 3-0 win and Bogdanov – branded with his new nickname ‘the Beast of Genoa’ – jailed for his role in the riot.
Are the Serbs the most notorious football fans?
FROM pitch raids to mass brawls and death threats, Serbian hooligans are known to wreak absolute havoc and pure carnage at football games.
Die-hard groups of hooligans are intertwined with football in Serbia – and they are known for ruthlessly attacking players on the pitch and storming opposition stalls when the match turns against them.
Hooligan firms in the Balkan state have chilling names such as The Gravediggers, Headhunters, Zulu Warriors, and the Red Devils.
Tracing their lineage back to the Balkan war of the 1990s, Serb football hooligans are renowned for their tough-as-nails attitude and love of violence.
In the past, the Ultras have killed rival fans – including a Toulouse supporter in 2009 who was beaten to death with iron bars and bicycle chains.
And one of their most vicious leaders is known as ‘Ivan the Terrible’.
In 2012, Ivan – who has been linked to Serbian far-right paramilitaries – forced a Euros qualifying match between Serbia and Italy in Genoa to be abandoned after trying to attack rival fans and police.
He rallied supporters to lob live flares and other pyrotechnics onto the pitch as players warmed up and ordered them to break down barriers separating them from Italian fans while taunting police.
At the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania another battle kicked off in the stands.
Serb supporters were recorded chanting “Kill the Albanians” and wore T-shirts of Serbian war crimes general Ratko Mladic in a heated snub to two ethnic Albanians in the Swiss squad.
These horror incidents have resulted in several fines and bans being imposed on the Serbian national side with the latest coming one-year-ago.
Uefa ordered them to play a 2024 European Championship qualifier in front of an empty stadium last year due to racist chants at their previous game against Montenegro.
ENGLAND’S PAST TOURNAMENT CHAOS
Travelling Three Lions supporters have forged a poor reputation for their behaviour overseas through the years.
However, England fans have been the target of several international assaults in the past both at club level and for national fans.
The 2016 Euros in France was viewed as a major failure for England both on the pitch and off it due to fan violence.
Before the tournament had even begun, fighting broke out between England fans and rival supporters in Marseille with cops being forced to tear gas local youths.
And after England drew with Russia on June 11, major clashes broke out on the streets of the French city between the two countries.
Over 100 Three Lions fans were left “walking wounded” with some in a critical condition after barbaric attacks that saw Russian thugs stalk drunken fans outside of pubs and bars.
The Russian team was given a suspended disqualification as a team and fined €150,000 (£126,000).
The hooligans were branded “hyper-rapid and hyper-violent” by the chief prosecutor in Marseille for their heinous planned assaults eight years ago.
More violence then erupted between English and Russian fans in Lille a few days later.
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At least 40 fans were reportedly arrested, 50 Russians deported and dozens left injured after the clashes.
One was even left in a critical condition in the hospital following a Russian ambush.
KANE IN FOR ROUGH SERB-ICE
FROM JORDAN DAVIES IN AUGSBURG
HARRY KANE has been warned that he will be targeted by an aggressive Serbian defence.
The Three Lions take on Serbia in their Euros Group C opener on Sunday in a bid to kick-start what they hope is a run to the final on July 14.
But standing in their way is an experienced outfit – coached by Marseille legend Dragan Stojkovic – ready to make it as tough as possible for Gareth Southgate’s men.
And Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlovic has promised England skipper and Bayern Munich star Kane, 30, an uncomfortable evening this weekend.
Pavlovic, 23, said: “Kane is an unbelievable player who has had a great season, but if you want to stop players like him we need to play all together.
“Work hard to put pressure on him, put in tackles and not give him any space whatsoever. That’s what we will try to do and that’s something we are working on.
“When you look at England’s squad they have a lot of qualities, especially in attack, a lot of players who have had good seasons and scored a lot of goals.
“That’s the biggest weapon they have.”
Pavlovic – who plays for Red Bull Salzburg – added: “We have a tough group, one of the best teams in England and to have them in the first game is as difficult as it can be.
“Denmark and Slovenia are also good sides, but we need to prepare in the best possible way and try to have a positive result. We need to put in maximum effort to get out the group.”
Pavlovic admits that he and his teammates will speak to former Fulham and Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic to get tips on how stop some of England’s best outlets.
He said: “Of course, we will speak to Mitrovic. We have a lot of experienced players so for sure, they will give us good advice.”
Serbia have a fully fit squad to choose from to face England, including Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, former Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic and ex-Southampton playmaker Dusan Tadic.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
