London, England (My Sportsbook) - The English Football Association has been charged by UEFA with improper behavior stemming from incidents involving England fans at the EURO 2008 qualifier in Croatia. The alleged incidents occurred prior to the game when England fans without tickets were able to break through security at the Maksimir Stadium forcing the security guards to close the turnstiles. The closure of the turnstiles for two, five-minute periods caused panic as supporters with tickets squeezed towards the gates. Police reacted by brandishing batons. The Croatian Federation faces the same charge after police used batons in Zagreb where England lost 2-0 in early October. In a separate case, UEFA's control and disciplinary body will examine the case of Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy's allegation of being racially abused in a game against Wisla Krakow at a hearing Thursday. The charge is based on the complaint submitted by Blackburn as well as a report filed by referee Stefan Johannesson. |
