Crowd trouble forces cancellation of Italy game

ITALY’s Euro 2012 Group C qualifier against Serbia was abandoned by UEFA last night after just six minutes due to crowd disturbances.

The game at Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris stadium was delayed for 35 minutes after a section of Serbian fans threw fire crackers and flares in the direction of the north stand where Italian supporters were seated, and onto the pitch.

Serbian players, led by Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic, urged their fans to calm down as families began to make their way towards the exit. The game started but it wasn’t long before Scottish referee Craig Thomson stopped play after a Serbian fan threw a flare onto the pitch, which narrowly missed Italy goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano.