'Serbian players fear for their lives because of hooligan problem'

Novi Pazar's Zarko Udovicic was threatened at gunpoint on Monday, two days after missing a late penalty in a 1-0 loss to FK Rad

Mirko Poledica, president of the Serbian professional footballers association Nezavisnost, fears a player could easily end up being murdered by one of the country's hooligan groups.

Poledica says that fan violence has got progressively worse in recent years and that the situation has now reached crisis point, with Novi Pazar's Zarko Udovicic having been threatened at gunpoint on Monday after missing a late penalty in last weekend's 1-0 loss to FK Rad.

The union leader was horrified but unsurprised by the incident, claiming that the Serbian Football Association (FSS) has allowed the hooligan problem to fester for years.

"Must we wait until some hooligan actually kills one of our player?" Poledica is quoted as saying by FIFPro's official website.

"In the past years, I have heard about many violent incidents and you wonder when does it stop?

"What worries me is that there is no reaction from the football association. They remain quiet. 

"They must do something to guarantee the safety of the players. But they don't. 

"Next time a player could be murdered. Must we wait until some hooligan actually kills one of our football players?"

Poledica reiterated that the authorities are to blame for failing to address the country's growing hooligan problem, revealing that the nation's footballers now fear for the lives.

"In Serbia, no fan has ever been prosecuted or convicted after violent behavior against a football player," he added. "That's why players are afraid to be attacked or be humiliated.

"Each day they hope that there will be nobody knocking on their door to beat them up, that there will be no person setting their car on fire, or that there will be no hooligan putting a gun to their head."