Italy-Serbia match called off due to violence

Uefa are waiting for their match delegate's report before acting following the riots which forced the abandonment of Italy's game against Serbia after only six minutes.
After pre-match clashes between travelling fans and Italian police, the game last night was delayed by 35 minutes due to crowd disturbances after Serbian fans threw flares in the direction of the north stand where Italian supporters were seated, and on to the pitch.

"The game has been called off definitively by the referee, who is the only delegate who can decide on the pitch,'' Italian football federation general secretary Antonello Valentini told state TV RAI.

Italy could be awarded a 3-0 forfeit victory by the Union of European Football Associations.
UEFA spokesman Rob Faulkner told The Associated Press in a text message that when a match is abandoned for safety reasons, the usual procedure is to use the referee and match delegate's report to open a case before the governing body's control and disciplinary panel.

Before the scheduled kickoff, a few fans with ski masks that covered their faces except for their eyes climbed up onto a partition, took out tools and began cutting through a mesh fence. Glass partitions were broken. One fan with his head covered burned what appeared to be an Albanian flag.

Serbia's starting lineup include defender Neven Subotic, who spent part of his youth growing up in Salt Lake City and played for the United States Under-17 and Under-20 teams before switching nationalities.