Boyce calls for Serbia ban

FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce wants Serbia to be severely punished for the actions of their fans during an Under-21 match against England.

England players, particularly Danny Rose, were subjected to racist chanting throughout the match and missiles were repeatedly thrown at the England players. This, combined with ugly scenes after the final whistle, has led to the spotlight once again being focused on the Serbian FA.

It is not the first time that Serbia have fallen foul of the footballing authorities. Their current manager Sinisa Mihajlovic was fined and banned back in 2000 for racially abusing Patrick Vieira during a Champions League match.

More recently, England players were the victims of racial abuse during the Under-21 European Championship in 2007.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Boyce has declared that the time has come for more severe punishments for repeat offenders.

“It needs to be a stadium ban now. There may even be a situation where Serbia aren’t allowed to play in one of the future competitions,” he said.

“This is not the first time that Serbia have had major problems and as someone who completely condemns racism in any shape or form, I think this time UEFA have to act and they have to act very strongly.

“It’s come to a stage where to fine people or to give associations large fines, it doesn’t seem to work.

“The morons who cause these problems really don’t seem to care about money that has to be paid out by clubs or associations.

“There’s got to be very serious action taken, especially against the Serbian FA.”