FA charged over Zagreb violence

Uefa has charged both the Football Association and the Croatian Federation with improper behaviour at their Euro 2008 qualifier in Croatia.

Police in Zagreb were forced to use batons on travelling fans following clashes with riot police, before England lost 2-0 on October 11.

England fans without tickets were able to break through a security barrier prior to the match at Maksimir Stadium, causing concern among security guards.

FA chiefs have responded angrily to the charges, saying the Croatian authorities sparked the violence by closing the turnstiles and failing to listen to advice on controlling crowds.

Spokesman for the FA, Adrian Bevington said: “We will contest this as strongly as we can possibly do so.”

“It’s worth noting we’ve had a vast amount of communication and correspondence from England supporters who were in Zagreb on the evening and experienced some very difficult situations in the build-up to the game,” he continued.

“All of this would be factored into the account that we provide when we actually do speak to Uefa on this subject.”

William Gaillard, Uefa director of communications, commented: “In the case of the English FA the charge is misconduct of the supporters. It is just a charge, levelled by the prosecution.”

If found guilty of the charges, the England football team could be forced to pay a fine or play matches behind closed doors.

(JM/CD)