England prepare for potential racial abuse in Belgrade as Serbia FA urges calm

England's senior squad have discussed how they would respond to potential racial abuse ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifying trip to Belgrade, with manager Thomas Tuchel and new signing Eberechi Eze saying the team will agree internal protocols and be prepared for a charged atmosphere.

The Serbian Football Association urged supporters to "create a positive atmosphere" and show respect for opponents after UEFA ordered a partial stadium closure of roughly 15 percent following incidents of racist behaviour by fans during Serbia's victory over Andorra in June.

Eze, who moved to Arsenal in a transfer reported at £60 million, said players were "very aware" of the possibility of abuse and added that the squad would have conversations about how to react if it occurred. "I’d say we’re very aware of maybe some of the challenges that we may face out there. I think it’s something that internally we’ll decide and have conversations about," he said.

Tuchel, speaking ahead of the fixture at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, described what he expects as an "emotional crowd" and said the team must "be ready for everything." He also noted that he had not yet seen the condition of the pitch. "We will have to adapt to the adversity and overcome adversity and let’s see what the pitch is like, how the game plays out," he said.

The Serbian FA's public appeal ahead of the match called on fans to "support our national team in the right way, show respect for the opponent and their national anthem" and urged supporters to "let the match against England be a celebration of sport and respect between rivals and nations." The federation's statement added: "The national team is our pride, we have no other, and it deserves support befitting such important matches."

The warnings come against a backdrop of previous incidents involving Serbian crowds. England's Under-21 team was subjected to sustained racist abuse at a fixture in Kruševac in 2012, with players including Danny Rose and Andros Townsend among those to speak out; several members of Serbia's team and staff received bans after that episode. UEFA also investigated alleged racist chanting directed at England players during last year's European Championship.

Domestic youth fixtures have also been affected. England's Under-17s saw a match against Venezuela suspended for around 50 minutes last week following alleged racial abuse, demonstrating the issue's persistence at multiple levels of international fixtures.

UEFA has sanctioned the Serbian FA repeatedly in recent years, issuing fines of more than £600,000 over the last five years for a range of offences, including discrimination from the stands. The partial closure ordered after the June match against Andorra was one of several measures taken to curb unacceptable behaviour.

England's senior team will travel to Belgrade with established reporting and disciplinary procedures in place for any incidents. Players and staff said they intended to follow those protocols while allowing the match officials and governing bodies to handle formal complaints and sanctions.

Match organisers and security officials typically coordinate with national associations and UEFA on crowd management and monitoring measures ahead of fixtures with a history of problems; the Serbian FA said it would work to ensure a safe environment for the visiting team and supporters.

The qualifier at the Rajko Mitic Stadium will be closely watched by UEFA and wider football authorities, who have stepped up scrutiny of discriminatory behaviour at international matches in recent seasons. England's approach, as described by Eze and Tuchel, will be to prepare internally and rely on match officials and governing bodies to address any incidents that arise during the game.