Ruling is final and covers German fans too

UEFA's sanction against Serbia is now official, and the Nations League match against Germany on 13 November in Belgrade will be played without spectators. The German Football Association (DFB) confirmed on Thursday, 22 October, that the Rajko Mitić Stadium, which holds more than 50,000 people, will admit no supporters at all, and it told ticket applicants that German fans are excluded too. The penalty follows racist and discriminatory behaviour by Serbian supporters at the team's earlier Nations League matches against Greece (1:2) and the Netherlands (1:2). On top of the closed-door ruling, UEFA has imposed a fine of 50,000 euros.

The DFB said it regretted the developments and wrote to ticket applicants:

“We were in close contact with UEFA and the Serbian federation and would have wished to bring you better news.”

Serbia's last attempt to soften the penalty

Serbia's federation had tried to soften the verdict before the confirmation. It had hoped that children with relatives and around 2,000 German supporters could still be admitted to the stadium. That did not happen, and the UEFA ruling is now final. Earlier reports left open whether under-15s could enter, but the DFB's confirmation leaves no room for any spectators. The stadium's capacity of more than 50,000 seats will therefore stand empty for this fixture.

Germany under pressure in Group A2

Germany has five points from four Nations League matches under Jürgen Klopp, while the Netherlands and Greece each have eight and top Group A2. Only the top two teams in the group reach the quarter-finals. Klopp's side drew 1:1 with the Netherlands, lost 0:1 to Greece, beat Serbia 2:0 in Munich and drew 0:0 with Greece again. Klopp had invited more than 40 players, and the team is still in a phase of finding its shape. Germany closes the group stage three days after the Belgrade match, in Berlin against the Netherlands.

Netherlands8

Greece8

Germany5

Netherlands

8 points

Greece

8 points

Germany

5 points

Data from the article text

Munich first leg and the sanction behind it

The first meeting between the two sides took place in Munich in early October. UEFA had already sanctioned Serbia at that stage, and no tickets could be sold to Serbian fans, who were therefore barred from that match. Germany won the Munich game 2:0, which gave Klopp his first victory as Bundestrainer. The Belgrade fixture is the return match, and the sequence of decisions runs from the Munich sanction to the 13 November date.