Daily Times

BELGRADE: UEFA has punished Serbia coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic with a one-match ban and fined the Balkan nation’s FA 20,000 euros (18,027 pounds) for a delayed kickoff in their 1-0 Nations League home defeat by Hungary last month. Serbia turned up several minutes late from the tunnel at Red Star stadium for the Group B3 match on Oct. 11 and European soccer’s governing body said it had also fined Tumbakovic 5,000 euros. UEFA did not specify, however, whether Tumbakovic is to serve the ban in their crunch Euro 2020 qualifier at home to Scotland on Nov. 12 or their Nations League visit to Hungary three days later. “The Control, Ethics and Disciplinary body has decided to fine the Football Association of Serbia 20,000 for being responsible for the late kick off,” UEFA said in a statement. “It has also decided to order the suspension of Serbia’s coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic for one UEFA competition match in which he would otherwise participate and fine him with 5,000 euros.”
The Serbian FA were not immediately available for comment. The winner of the Serbia v Scotland clash in Belgrade will clinch a Euro 2020 Group D berth alongside England, Croatia and the Czech republic, with the round-robin matches to be played at Wembley and Hampden Park. The 24-nation tournament was originally due to be held June 12-July 12 this year but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now to be staged June 11-July 11 next year. Serbia are bottom of their Nations League group on two points from four games, one behind third-placed Turkey, while Hungary are second on seven, a point adrift of leaders Russia.