The Head Hunters, Gravediggers and ringleader ‘Ivan The Terrible’: The fearsome Serbian hooligans set to ‘target England fans’ at first Euros match on Sunday
Terrifying Serbian hooligan gangs such as the ‘Head Hunters’ and ‘Gravediggers’ could target English football fans in their first appearances Euro 2024 competition, fear of the police.
England play Serbia on Sunday evening in what German officials consider a ‘high risk’ match at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, home of FC Schalke 04.
Around 40,000 people from England are expected to travel there Germany for the match at 9pm local time (8pm BST), compared with up to 8,000 from Serbia – and local police chiefs believe 400 to 500 of these will be ‘violence-seeking Serbian hooligans’.
The German police have cooperated with the authorities of London and Belgrade to avoid ugly scenes in the areas around the stadium and during the match itself.
But Serbian football fans have a track record of violence in recent years, with one of their most notorious hooligans, Ivan Bogdanov, known as ‘Ivan the Terrible’.
Red Star Belgrade fans at the Rajko Mitic on May 13 in a match against FK Radnički 1923
Balaclava-clad Serbian fan Ivan Bogdanov gestures to riot police during the Euro 2012 qualifier between Italy and Serbia at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa on October 12, 2010
Peter Both, chief of police in Gelsenkirchen, said this The guard that officers in the country did not have ‘concrete intelligence, concrete information’ at this stage.
But they think that ‘up to 400 to 500 violence-seeking Serbian hooligans will travel to Germany, but we don’t know exactly and that is our problem at the moment’.
He added: “I think the biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans.”
Some Serbian fans call themselves ‘ultras’, and many of them belong to the far-right pro-Russian groups Delije or Strongmen supporters of Serbian national champions Red Star Belgrade.
In one particularly violent incident in 2014, a match between Serbia and Albania had to be abandoned after fans stormed the pitch and began attacking players.
Serbia fans lit flares during an international match against Austria in Vienna on June 4, 2024
Red Star Belgrade fans at the Rajko Mitic on May 13 in a match against FK Radnički 1923
In a 2012 European Championship qualifying match against Italy in Genoa in 2010, Bogdanov rallied supporters to attack rival fans and police, tearing down barriers between them.
During the warm-up, fireworks and flares were thrown onto the field, and the match eventually had to be stopped just minutes into the match.
And in 2009, fourteen Serbian football hooligans were jailed for the murder of French fan Brice Taton, who was beaten to death in Belgrade.
More than 1,600 England fans banned from football have been ordered to surrender their passports until the end of the tournament to ensure they do not travel to Germany.
About 1,000 police officers will be on duty this weekend to keep the peace between rival fan camps.
Several British officers will also travel to the city to look for known English hooligans and people with a ban order.
Italian police escort Ivan Bogdanov after he was arrested following clashes in Genoa in 2010
Riot police confront Serbian fans during the Euro 2012 match in Italy on October 12, 2010
An expert on Serbian fan culture, who asked not to be identified, told the Daily telegram: ‘It is possible that groups of hooligans are present. We must also take into account that there is a large Serbian diaspora in Germany.
‘What we already know is that Serbia will certainly receive enormous support. UEFA has reserved 10,000 tickets and 30,000 requests have been submitted for each match.
‘The question remains whether these types of Serbs living abroad, such as Germany and Switzerland, behave better or not. Sometimes it happens that this inner patriotism, inner nationalism is more common among these Serbs living abroad. So they will want to show: ‘We are Serbs’.”
German authorities have announced detailed searches for weapons and fireworks and promised to set up a special command center to coordinate riot police and “tactical response” units.
But they reportedly won’t intervene if England fans sing ‘Ten German Bombers’.
Red Star fans light flares during a football match against Partizan Belgrade in February 2022
Red Star Belgrade fans at the Rajko Mitic on May 13 in a match against FK Radnički 1923
Mr Both said: ‘The singing of ten German bombers is not criminal. It is not prohibited in Germany. It is stupid. It’s a stupid song.
‘The England manager said that and he is absolutely right. It is ridiculous. It’s a stupid song, but it’s not banned.’
It comes as voters across the European Union will still digest the results of the elections for the European Parliament – the legislature of the 27-member bloc – as the tournament gets underway.
Early results have shown a rise in nationalist and far-right sentiment, which has often manifested itself in European football stadiums, especially among hardcore ultras.
And the threat of hooliganism looms over the championship – while the threat of terrorism and political violence is also a major security concern, following a series of attacks on politicians in Germany.
England vs Serbia takes place on Sunday at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen (file image)
The interior of the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, home of German side Schalke (file image)
German authorities will increase border controls during the tournament and more than 20,000 police officers will be on duty.
Meanwhile, Georgia heads to its first major football championship as the political crisis deepens at home.
The country has seen weeks of protests against a controversial law that opponents say would affect media freedom and hinder efforts to join the EU.
