Matt relives his Serb nightmare

Matt Derbyshire: Racist Serbian crowds haven't improved

ATHLETIC striker Matt Derbyshire has called for Serbia to be kicked out of international competitions after alleged racist chanting from fans in the midweek game against England under-21s.

Players and staff clashed on the pitch after the final whistle before Danny Rose was sent off for kicking the ball away in anger at what he perceived to be racist taunts.

UEFA announced charges against the Serbian FA and the English for improper conduct of their players, and against the Serbs for alleged racist chanting by supporters. The Serbian FA denied the racism claims.

The unsavoury scenes which overshadowed England's Euro 2013 play-off win were familiar to Derbyshire. He claims racist chanting was aimed at his black team-mates during an England under-21s game away to Serbia in 2007.

“It is so disappointing that this is happening again, and in the same place,” he said.

“I witnessed racism back then and five years on, they have clearly not improved matters over there.

The only way to send out a clear message is to remove Serbia from the competition.”

Meanwhile, if Athletic’s push to extend Derbyshire’s loan from Nottingham Forest by at least another month is successful, no one will be happier than the player himself.

He added: “I love it here. This is the best run of uninterrupted matches I have enjoyed for a long time.”