Serbia fans at Euro 2024 will be one of the most controversial and noisy fanbases in Germany this summer. It is the first time that they have qualified for the European Championships since gaining independence in 2006. Since 2006, they have made three World Cup appearances, bowing out at the group stage on every occasion.
England will face Serbia in their first Group C match at Euro 2024. The match will take place on June 16 at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. Gareth Southgate’s side have never played Serbia and will be looking to get their campaign off to the perfect start.
🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Serbia's squad for EURO 2024. ⚔️🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/pMcVwJuSti
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) May 28, 2024
How many Serbia fans at Euro 2024?
Back in December 2023, UEFA announced that each nation participating in Euro 2024 would receive 10,000 tickets for their fans. For nations that asked for more than 10,000 tickets, the remaining seats were allocated as part of a lottery system. A resale platform was also made available for fans of all 32 teams, beginning in March 2024. The Football Association of Serbia provided all the necessary information regarding ticket sale dates for supporters here.
Serbian fans and supporters of other competing teams have been reminded by UEFA not to purchase tickets on the secondary market. As a result, all tickets will be digital, with no print-at-home option. It is expected that there will be a strong Serbian presence in Germany this summer. In fact, over 500,000 Serbs live in cities across Germany, and given that this is their European Championship appearance, they will be eager to support their team.
The infamous history of the Serbian Ultras
Serbia’s ultras are infamous across Europe due to a few high-profile incidents. Domestically, Red Star Belgrade’s ultras are the fiercest with a large membership that includes some people with criminal backgrounds. They are known as Delije, which can be translated to Strong Boys, and are located in the north stand of the Red Star Stadium. Pyrotechnic displays, fireworks, and strongly worded banners and flags are commonplace for every home game.
Patrick Hill released an exclusive article for the Daily Mirror in April 2024 about the Serbian hooligans ahead of Euro 2024. He detailed their strong right-wing political views and interviewed a select few Serbian ultras, including one who said: “On the pitch you will probably win but off the pitch it’s not a contest. We aren’t afraid of anyone. We learned everything we know from the Italians and the English but they are no match for strong Serbian men.”
The Serbian ultras have been involved in some high-profile skirmishes in the past, including a fight with Albanian fans ahead of a Euro 2016 qualifier between the two teams. As a result of the clashes, the match was abandoned. As well as this, an infamous hooligan leader named Ivan Bagdanov tried to attack Italian fans and police ahead of a Euro 2012 qualifier between Serbia and Italy, leading to the match being abandoned. There have been other high-profile clashes with supporters of other countries, including with Brazil fans in their World Cup match in Russia in 2018.