Bolton apologise to detained fans in Belgrade
Bolton Wanderers have apologised to their fans for the way they have been treated by the Serbian authorities ahead of Thursday night's UEFA Cup tie against Red Star Belgrade.
About 100 'official' fans were held at the Hotel National on the outskirts of Belgrade ahead of the game for their own safety, according to a Foreign Office spokesman. This followed reports that Red Star fans were out to cause trouble, he said. A Wanderers spokesman said official fans were detained temporarily at the hotel 'without reasonable explanation' and not allowed to visit Belgrade city by Serbian police. He said: 'All attempts to resolve this situation have met with the response of 'the matter is under consideration' from the Belgrade Police. 'The actions of the Serbian police have been made entirely unilaterally and with no prior warning or agreement with Bolton Wanderers FC or other relevant parties.' The spokesman said the club was seeking clarification on reports that Bolton supporters were at risk of attack in Belgrade. He said: 'Bolton Wanderers wish to state that the health, safety and wellbeing of all our supporters remain the number one priority for the Football Club. 'However, until any further information is available on this matter, we wish to apologise for any inconvenience that today's unfortunate events have caused our supporters. 'The Club would also like to thank the travelling supporters for their exemplary behaviour, as always, in such difficult circumstances.' The Foreign Office spokesman said fans expressed 'frustrated resignation' at being cloistered in the hotel. Five British police officers accompanied the fans, he said. He added: 'Local reports suggested that local fans are out to cause trouble. That's why the British fans were being held at the hotel.' He said the Belgrade police commander was 'very apologetic about the situation'.
