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Croatia face racism charge by UEFA
Croatia's Football Federation was charged by UEFA on Saturday for racist chants by the national team's fans and the displaying of racist symbols in the Euro 2012 Group C game against Italy on Thursday, UEFA said.
"UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) for the setting-off and throwing of fireworks, and the improper conduct of supporters (racist chants, racist symbols) at the UEFA Euro 2012 Group C match against Italy in Poznan on Thursday," European soccer's governing body said in a statement.
Warsaw police under pressure to protect Russian fans
Warsaw police pledged to protect tens of thousands of fans expected in the Polish capital on Saturday and to avoid a repeat of the violence that marred the Euro 2012 match between Poland and Russia this week, leading to almost 200 detentions.
Russia play Greece in Warsaw on Saturday evening and 20,000 Russians and 4,000 Greeks have tickets to the stadium. At the same time Poland face the Czech Republic in Wroclaw and Warsaw's 100,000-capacity fan zone is expected to be full.
Police are under pressure to halt violence immediately, after being criticised for acting too slowly when Polish hooligans set upon a group of Russian fans marching to the stadium on Tuesday, and when another group tried to break into the fan zone.
The skirmishes were an embarrassment for the Euro 2012 co-hosts, prompting talks between the Polish and Russian leaders and an apology by Warsaw authorities to foreign fans.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a phone conversation on Wednesday that Warsaw bore "full responsibility" for the safety of fans, raising the stakes in events which have brought the nations' troubled relationship to the fore.
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