Serbia's police chief said Thursday that 19 football fans who rioted during the abandoned Italy-Serbia game have been arrested while returning to Serbia.
The European Championship qualifier in Genoa on Tuesday was abandoned seven minutes into the game when Serbia supporters threw flares and fireworks onto the pitch and broke barriers. Violent clashes continued through the night, and 16 people, including two policemen, were injured.
Serbia's Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said Thursday that buses with fans returning from Italy were stopped at border crossings overnight and the arrests were made.
Eight other people, including the alleged ringleader of the rioting Serbian fans, were arrested in Italy.
Dacic also reiterated his criticism of the Italian organizers of the match, saying they did nothing to protect the Serbia team bus from an attack by Serbian fans and just watched the rioting in the stadium.
While UEFA has warned that sanctions against Serbia could include disqualification from Euro 2012 or exclusion from future competitions, the Italian football federation (FIGC) is worried it may be penalized for allowing the Serbian fans to enter the stadium in Genoa with an arsenal of fireworks, flares and other destructive material.
While Italy will likely be awarded a 3-0 victory for the match, it could be forced to play home games without fans.
FIGC president Giancarlo Abete defended the actions of his federation, saying it "did what was required," and indicated it would likely appeal any penalty.
"There needs to be a more in-depth inquiry into Serbia's federation than ours," Abete said.
UEFA opened an investigation on Wednesday and its disciplinary panel will hear the case on Oct. 28.
