Balaclava hooligans storm pitch and attack their own players – wild footage shows
Balaclava-wearing hooligans stormed the pitch and attacked their own players seconds after the final whistle of a crucial 2-2 relegation draw, sparking a mass brawl

Scenes of chaos erupted on Sunday (May 24) as hooligans wearing balaclavas stormed a football pitch and launched a violent attack on players from their own team.

The brawl, which was captured in shocking footage, was ignited just moments after the final whistle of the football game.

The violence was ignited on the final matchday of the Serbian SuperLiga Relegation Round as football team FK Radnički 1923 played a tense home game against FK Javor Ivanjica at the Čika Dača Stadium in Kragujevac, Serbia. Masked hooligans, believed to be from a radical faction linked to the Crveni Đavoli (“Red Devils”) fan group, charged onto the pitch and targeted their own team’s players in full view of the crowd.

The trouble flared at full-time after the match finished 2-2, a result that guaranteed FK Radnički 1923 would stay in the Serbian SuperLiga. But instead of celebrating, the group of hooligans who claim to back the club vaulted the perimeter fencing and charged at their own players.

The masked supporters appeared to be looking for a fight, and some of the footballers were struck in the confrontation, Serbian Times reported. Radnički Midfielder Miloš Ristić reportedly came off worst in the chaos, suffering a cut lip and taking several blows to the face.

Several players from the African continent were also said to have been struck as the masked mob surged in. With no clear escape route, Radnički’s players and staff fought back and a full-scale brawl broke out on the pitch.

Footage showed that some of the hooligans appeared to come off second best in the scuffles, before Serbian Gendarmerie officers eventually moved in. However, many online criticised what they said was a slow response and forced the attackers back towards the stands.

Veteran Radnički player Milan Mitrović was credited with shielding younger teammates as the trouble unfolded, while others tried to pull colleagues away from the worst of the violence. This comes as Brit police are bracing themselves for World Cup hooligan hell on both sides of the Atlantic after an astonishing double fan safety snub.

The Government has allowed hospitality venues to extend opening hours so fans can watch England and Scotland’s late kick-offs. Police chiefs hoped venues opening late would still have to apply to licensing officials so officers could keep tabs on potential trouble hotspots, the Daily Star previously reported.

But the Home Office refused – instead allowing any bar to open late on a whim. Britain’s head of football policing Mark Roberts said: ”So it will be basically more alcohol, disorder, and there’s a link to domestic abuse as well. It’s going to be a challenge for us to manage it.”