Violent ultras force riot police to retreat at Belgrade derby

Saturday’s Belgrade derby between Red Star and Partizan ended 35 (police injuries) to 41 (fans arrested — down from 104 in 2013!) in yet another, bloody, smoke-filled affair.

On the pitch, the the two sides played to a scoreless draw, keeping first-place Partizan five points ahead of second-place Red Star. But as usual, the real action was in the stands. And it was for that reason that the match began 45 minutes late.

From the BBC:

Red Star fans threw seats and flares at riot police, who had to retreat. Extra police officers came to help empty one area of the north tier.

When the game finally got under way, both sets of fans lit flares and threw stun grenades onto the athletics track around the pitch.

There was another delay to the start of the second half as match officials waited for smoke to clear. According to Reuters, the Serbian Interior Ministry reported 35 minor injuries to police officers.

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