• Under-21 Championship qualifying

Serbian FA denies racism and points finger at Rose

ESPN staff
October 17, 2012

The Serbian FA has denied any form of racism and claims Danny Rose behaved in an "inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner" towards its own fans.

The England Under-21s' win and subsequent qualification for next year's European Under-21 Championship was overshadowed by the unseemly scenes at the end of the match.

A scuffle broke out moments after Connor Wickham scored the winning goal and Rose was sent off following the final whistle for kicking the ball into the stands after suffering racial abuse from the crowd.

Rose has called for Serbia to be banned in order to send a message that racism will not be tolerated.

Serbia Under-21 boss Aleksandar Jankovic raised eyebrows when saying they had nothing to apologise for, but their association has gone a step further by denying any form of racism and pointing the finger at Rose.

A statement from the Serbian FA read: "During each and every minute of the match, until the last one, sports atmosphere full of respecting fair-play spirit was on the pitch and in the stands, from warming up of both of the teams, through national anthems and applause of all those present when the English anthem finished."

And taking issue with Rose, the statement continued: "While most of the English team players celebrated the goal, their No. 3, Danny Rose, behaved in an inappropriate, unsportsmanlike and vulgar manner towards the supporters in the stands at the stadium."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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