Fans anger over Belgrade police
8:34am Friday 7th December 2007 in News By Staff Reporter
Hundreds of angry Bolton Wanderers are back home today dismayed by their treatment at the hands of police in Belgrade.
More than 200 fans were held under armed guard at a roadside service station in Serbia, before the Whites' UEFA Cup clash with Red Star Belgrade.
About 170 supporters on an official club trip were herded on to coaches and taken to the service station in Belgrade when they arrived in the country early yesterday.
They were detained in a room which police used as a holding area.
Fans arriving at the airport having travelled independently were also detained, while some supporters were reportedly plucked off the street, if spotted by police, and taken to the cafe.
The move - said to have been made on the command of a local police general - sparked anger among fans and Wanderers chiefs.
A Foreign Office spokesman said about 100 "official" fans were held on the outskirts of Belgrade following reports that Red Star fans were out to cause trouble.
Club officials later issued a statement apologising to the fans for the way they had been treated by the Serbian authorities.
A Bolton Wanderers spokesman said that official fans were detained temporarily at the service station "without reasonable explanation" and not allowed to visit Belgrade city by Serbian police.
He said: "All attempts to resolve this situation have met with the response of the matter is under consideration' from the Belgrade Police.
"The actions of the Serbian police have been made entirely unilaterally and with no prior warning or agreement with Bolton Wanderers FC or other relevant parties."
The spokesman said the club was seeking clarification on reports that Bolton supporters were at risk of attack in Belgrade.
He said: "Bolton Wanderers wish to state that the health, safety and wellbeing of all our supporters remain the number one priority for the Football Club.
"However, until any further information is available on this matter, we wish to apologise for any inconvenience that today's unfortunate events have caused our supporters."
A delegation of officials, led by the Bolton Wanderers board of directors and including Red Star Belgrade chiefs, British Embassy staff, the FA adviser on crowd control, Eddie Walsh, and Chief Inspector Peter Matthews, of Bolton police, lobbied the Serbian police for the fans' release.
But their pleas fell on deaf ears and calls were mounting last night for a top-level probe into the treatment of the Wanderers fans.
Bolton councillor John Walsh travelled to Belgrade to watch the match, but managed to evade Serbian police by staying at his hotel until the game.
He said: "What has happened here is quite horrendous. The fans have been treated monstrously.
"I have contacted the office of William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, and will be speaking to him tomorrow. This is a diplomatic matter which needs to be dealt with at the highest level.
"The way in which visitors to this country have been treated is appalling."
About 230 fans who had been held at the service station were eventually taken to Red Star Belgrade's stadium at 5.30pm local time - almost 10 hours after first being detained.
Sgt Dave Keogh, who was one of the Bolton police representatives at the match, said: "It would appear there was a breakdown in communication and that plans to deal with Bolton fans were changed without us being made aware.
"There were originally to be accommodated in an area of town with a police presence, but those plans changed.
"I understand that decision was made by Serbian police in what they believed to be the best interest of the fans."
