On October 12, Europe witnessed a disgraceful episode in international football history - an official UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier between Italy and Serbia was abandoned, due to the violent behaviour of a group of Serbian fans.
Ivan Bogdanov, was at the heart of Tuesday night's incidents
Throughout the day, the host of the match, the city of Genoa, witnessed random acts of vandalism, antisocial behaviour and open violence. Most notable was the assault on Vladimir Stojkovic, Serbia's goalkeeper, by the angry mob of 'Ultras', stopped only by the reactions of his team-mates and Italian police wielding weapons.
Traumatised by the incident, he had to be taken off the team. He had 'sinned' by 'switching the camp' - signing for Partizan Belgrade, from Sporting Lisbon, after being a Red Star Belgrade player. Clearly, the assailants were Red Star fans.
Later on that evening, after the match was abandoned, while making the arrests and searching the buses, Italian police found an arsenal of bars, bats and knives but - more worryingly - shock-bombs and even a hand grenade on the suspected leader of the group, found hiding in the luggage hold. The Belgrade media report that his name is Ivan Bogdanov, 30 years of age, and at the moment there are four court cases against him. He was the man seen on photos, cutting the protection screen with pliers, commanding the riot and making Nazi-style salutes.
(futbol, arrested)
