Von Miloš Marković
Over the past two decades, Serbia has become notorious for its football hooliganism. As a country that intends to instill democratic values in its people and to progress on the path to the European Union, Serbia has struggled to reform and regulate many aspects of its social life—unfortunately football stands low on its long list of priorities.
The Serbian fans have taken advantage of its lenient football authorities by using football matches as platform from which to express their opinions and their general sense of discontent. At the same time they often abuse their rights at the stadiums, well aware that they are unlikely to be punished for crossing the line.
In conjunction with underground criminal structures, as reported by the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Overall Crime and Safety Report, the terraces have long been the stage used to promote xenophobia and extreme nationalism. During matches, this often leads to physical confrontations between rival sets of hooligans—assaults have resulted in serious injuries and two deaths over the past seven years.
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