By JOSE M. ROMERO
The aftermath of a brawl between players from England’s and Serbia’s U-21 teams two weeks ago continues, with Serbian police having charged two unnamed England players and an assistant coach for their roles in the racism-tinged melee.
Video of the brawl showed England player Danny Rose making monkey-like gestures and pointing to the stands after a U-21 Euro 2013 qualifier between the two teams. Rose could be one of those facing charges.
The accused players and coach, if convicted in Serbian court, could face jail time in that country.
The Football Association of England said Rose was the target of racial abuse, and it plans to defend those charged. The Serbian FA has already suspended two of its players from international competition for a year.
Here are more stories from around the world of soccer:
Arsenal completes amazing comeback
Arsenal rallied from a 4-0 deficit to Reading for a remarkable 7-5 win in extra time Tuesday night in a League Cup match, a comeback for the ages at any level.
Theo Walcott scored a hat trick, including goals in both halves’ stoppage times. The match was hailed by media as the greatest comeback in League Cup history.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admitted that the League Cup is not high on his club’s list of priorities; nevertheless, the Gunners didn’t want to be embarrassed. It looked that way for a half before everything turned around.
Highlights of the match in Reading, during which more than a few disgusted Arsenal fans left early, made ESPN’s Sportscenter.
If you didn’t see them, here’s a minute-by-minute account of the match courtesy of The Guardian.
Blackburn names manager
English second-division club Blackburn is set to name former defender Henning Berg as its new manager, according to a report from the BBC.
Berg will sign a three-year contract to guide the struggling Rovers, who are in fifth place hoping to move back into the Premier League.
Berg played for Blackburn when the Rovers won the Premier League championship in 1995. He’s been working as a TV commentator since being fired by Lillestrom earlier this month.
Dempsey, Tottenham face Norwich in League Cup
U.S. national team forward Clint Dempsey offered his thoughts on Wednesday’s League Cup match for the Spurs against EPL rival Norwich City.
Dempsey scored the game-winning goal against Southampton in a 2-1 win on Sunday.