UEFA to appeal Serbia-England decisions

UEFA, via the UEFA disciplinary inspector appointed to the case, has decided to appeal all the sanctions imposed by the Control and Disciplinary Body relating to incidents which took place at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off second-leg match between Serbia and England on 16 October 2012 at the Mladost Stadium in Krusevac.

As per the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, the UEFA disciplinary inspector has the right to open disciplinary investigations and to lodge appeals against decisions taken by the Control and Disciplinary Body. Having reviewed the motivated decisions for the sanctions imposed in this specific case, which have also been provided to all parties, the UEFA disciplinary inspector felt it necessary to immediately confirm his intention to appeal on UEFA's behalf.

On 13 December 2012, the Control and Disciplinary Body initially ordered the Serbian U21 national team to play their next UEFA competition home match behind closed doors and the Football Association of Serbia (FSS) was fined €80,000 following the improper conduct of its supporters, specifically related to racist behaviour. Additionally, two Serbian coaches were suspended for a specified period, and four Serbian players were suspended for between two and four matches in UEFA national team competitions. The Control and Disciplinary Body also suspended two English players for one and two matches respectively.

The UEFA disciplinary inspector now has until Tuesday 8 January 2013 to lodge the appeal, the same deadline also applying to both the FSS and the Football Association (FA) should they wish to appeal the sanctions imposed. Once this deadline passes, and after other requirements of the proceedings, the case will be brought before the Appeals Body.