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ESPNsoccernet: England | |
Everton captain Phil Neville has urged teams and players who are subjected to racist abuse to walk off the pitch in protest.
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• Serbian FA denies racism claim
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Neville, 35, condemned the shocking scenes that unfolded as England's Under-21s secured a place at next summer's European Championship finals with victory over Serbia in Krusevac on Tuesday.
The 35-year-old, who helped coach Stuart Pearce's squad during the summer, took to Twitter to express his feelings about events at the Mladost Stadium.
The FA has complained to UEFA after missiles were thrown from the stands and racist abuse was directed at members of the England squad from sections of the crowd.
Neville tweeted: "Disgraceful what happened in Serbia last night - manager/captain should just take team off the field and refuse to play. It's not about them winning, it's about making a proper stand."
England defender Danny Rose, on loan at Sunderland from Tottenham, was sent off after the final whistle when he reacted angrily after what he said was 90 minutes of racist abuse from the crowd. An on-pitch brawl involving players from both sides followed.
The Serbian FA responded by denying that there had been any racism and accusing the 22-year-old of "vulgar and unsportsmanlike" behaviour.
Neville also made a statement via Kick It Out, British football's anti-discrimination campaigning body, which is currently running a One Game, One Community initiative to promote equality within the sport.
"There is no place for any form of abuse and discrimination in football," he said. "I'm proud to support the One Game, One Community campaign.
"After all the progress made so far in tackling abuse, we cannot sit back - we must ensure that all forms of discrimination are made unacceptable."