Belgrade officials released from custody - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Belgrade officials released from custody

By Zoran Milosavljevic 26/12/2007 12:09:54 PM Comments (0)

Three Red Star Belgrade officials and a match delegate arrested following a riot earlier this month were released from custody on Tuesday pending further investigation, the club's legal representative said.

"They have been released after all the witnesses in the case have been heard in the preliminary stage of the investigation," Red Star's lawyer Dragan Ninkovic told Reuters.

"The legal grounds for their detention have ceased to exist."

"They can't repeat the offence during the ongoing winter break in the league and the club has also been penalised.

"The inquest will continue and it's now up to the prosecutor to press on with the case or drop the charges."

Red Star's general secretary Zoran Damjanovic, stadium manager Miodrag Corovic, security chief Novica Mijuskovic and match delegate Rade Popovic were arrested after a policeman was seriously injured in their home game with Hajduk Kula.

They were charged with causing a "a general state of danger" for failing to prevent the riot during which fans battered the police officer with burning flares, forcing him to fire shots into the air in self-defence.

The Serbian champions have been fined and ordered to play three home matches behind closed doors.

Serbian soccer has been rife with violence in recent years and Partizan were kicked out of the UEFA Cup in August after their fans started trouble at Bosnian rivals Zrinjski Mostar in the first qualifying round.

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