Yorkshire rivals are united in their call for stern action to be taken against Serbs

Scuffles broke out on the pitch at the final whistle, after the Three Lions had clinched a 2-0 aggregate win, that saw former Leeds United junior Danny Rose targeted by racist chanting from the home fans.

Hull City’s loanee goalkeeper Ben Amos was ensnared in the melee along with Leeds defender Tom Lees, who was punched in the face by a Serbian player.

UEFA have charged the Serbian and English FAs over the “improper conduct” of their players, while the Serbs are also accused of being involved in “alleged racist chanting” on the night. Both will answer the charges on November 22.

For Tigers manager Steve Bruce, the brawl that broke out in Krusevac served as a chilling reminder of the night in 1993 when he, as Manchester United captain, witnessed the terrifying violence that followed a Champions League tie in Istanbul against Galatasaray.

Last night, the Hull chief told the Yorkshire Post: “Anyone in football should never want to see those scenes at any level, never mind in an Under-21s tournament.

“I thought that had left the game a long, long time ago. Certainly in my mind, it has in this country.

“You get your odd remarks that make the headlines but compared to where we were 20 or 30 years ago – where chants from supporters were common – it has all but disappeared in our country. Long may that continue.

“The scenes we saw at the end of the Under-21s’ game were disgraceful. There is no place for it; it was disgusting.”

Amos, who is on loan at the KC Stadium from Manchester United this season, was on the bench for the Under-21s on Tuesday night.

Asked how the 22-year-old would be affected by the trouble, a smiling Bruce said: “I have spoken with Ben and asked him where he was with his boxing gloves. No, in all seriousness, I will have a word with him and see how he is.

“Only Ben will know the ferocity of it. It is all right looking at pictures but it is another matter being there.

“But he seems perfectly all right with it all and, knowing Ben, the biggest disappointment for him will have been not playing.”

Bruce may be confident that Amos is unaffected by the events of Tuesday but the Hull manager is also adamant that action has to be taken against the Serbs.

He points to the heavy fine handed out to Galatasaray in the wake of the trouble in 1993 that saw United players assaulted in the tunnel by riot police.

“The game on Tuesday was handbags compared to that night in Turkey,” said Bruce. “I watched it on the telly and it was nothing compared to what went on in that tunnel.

“To be fair to UEFA, they did do something about it. When I look back through my career, Galatasaray away 20 years ago was one of the most intimidating places I have ever been.

“Their fans were in the ground for four hours before kick-off. The stands were bouncing and it was such an incredibly hostile place to play.

“Unfortunately, we went out that night. What happened in that tunnel needed to be addressed so I hope UEFA do the same this time.

“The racism thing is despicable. We have left behind that sort of thing in this country years ago. We need UEFA to give them a slap.”

Leeds manager Neil Warnock echoes Bruce’s conviction that action has to be taken by UEFA following this week’s events.

Unlike his Hull counterpart, however, the United chief is not confident that European football’s governing body will deliver.

He said: “Serbia and a few others have bigger problems because they don’t treat it as severely as we do.

“While the authorities treat it with the contempt that they do – fines that don’t punish anyone – then they will treat it as normal and won’t deal with it.

“Until they are banned from competitions, it won’t stop.

“And I just can’t see that happening with UEFA or FIFA, as they don’t seem to have the guts to implement something like that.”

As for Lees, Warnock added: “Tom was punched in the face but he’ll be okay. He is a tough lad and won’t be troubled by it.”