Crowd violence mars Belgrade’s ‘eternal derby’

Red Star Belgrade took the honours against their arch-rivals and league leaders Partizan courtesy of a bizarre own goal from Milan Obradovic in the 18th minute but it was trouble in the stands that truly marked the game.

Such is the intensity of this rivalry, seats were removed from the Partizan end prior to the game as a security measure but the visiting fans used whatever flammable objects they could get their hands on to starts a huge fire.

Flares are commonplace in continental football and often provide iconic pictures to be beamed around the world but the actions of a mindless few could have had fatal consequences.

The fire, set on the durable concrete blocks of Red Star’s Marakana stadium, soon began to billow high into the sky and such was its ferocity that the referee Milorad Mazic had to call a halt to the match for ten minutes as the smoke threatened to choke the 40,000 spectators inside the stadium.

Before the game the home faithful had set off loud fireworks and lit dozens of flares but in an almost fatal game of one-upmanship the travelling support's antics led to fire crews having to attend to control the fire.

"We were a bit fortunate to score but I think we held our own very well after the goal and could have had a couple more in what was a very tense match with plenty at stake," Red Star coach Slavisa Stojanovic told a news conference, without a hint of irony.

"It wasn't the best derby ever played and eye-catching moments were few and far between, but we really had to win and after taking the lead so early in the game we just couldn't take any risks."

Despite the defeat, the result leaves Partizan in pole position on 21 points from 11 matches, one more point than Red Star but the incident marks another sorry day in what is turning into a troubled few months for European football.

The raucous behaviour of a few in the Serbian capital will almost certainly receive some form of censure from the UEFA and follows hastily on the heels of the European governing body punishing CSKA Moscow following the racist abuse hurled at Manchester City's Yaya Toure by the Russian club's fans.