Serbia president’s son ‘restrained by bodyguards’ from joining fan brawl

The son of Serbia’s president was hauled back from joining a brawl after his country’s fans were attacked by English hooligans on the streets of Gelsenkirchen, it has been claimed.

Videos posted online appear to show Danilo Vučić, 26, being restrained by three of his bodyguards as he attempted to get towards a fight between more than 100 England and Serbia fans.

Violence erupted on Sunday afternoon when English hooligans allegedly “looking for a scrap” rushed Serbian fans sitting outside the Hirt steakhouse.

Fans who targeted the bar hurled bottles, tables and chairs before they were chased by riot police who later detained eight people ahead of England’s 1-0 win against Serbia. Several fans and at least one local police officer were left with heavy head wounds following the violence.

Videos showed Serbian fans retaliating and media across the Balkans claimed that a man attempting to get involved but held back by bodyguards was Mr Vučić.

The footage shows him allegedly trying to plunge into the fray as his bodyguards held him back and blocked him from the front.

Croatian and Bosnian media claimed the bodyguards were part of the special “Cobra” unit of the Serbian military police responsible for counter-terrorism, close protection and special operations.

Another clip posted on social media is said to show him break free from the grip of his bodyguards before he disappears into the crowd.

There is no suggestion he actually became involved in the violence.

Mr Vučić‘s father Aleksandar has served as the president of Serbia since 2017 and Jakub Bielamowicz, a think tank analyst at the Institute of New Europe, and Jasmin Mujanovic, a political scientist, shared videos on social media claiming it was the politician’s son.

“Danilo Vučić, the son of the Serbian president, is seen wrestling with his bodyguards as he attempts to join a clash with English fans in Gelsenkirchen ahead of the Serbia-England game,” Bielamowicz wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

He claimed that Mr Vučić had links to Serbian ultras, fanatical supporters who are often associated with hooliganism.

While Serbian state news sources are understood to be aware of the incident, they have not issued a denial.

The New York Times have previously reported that the younger Vucic was pictured with his arms around members of a notorious gang run allegedly run by Veljko Belivuk, nicknamed the Trouble, at a football match.

His father has previously accused the press of unfairly targeting his family as a result of reports linking him to the gang.

In response to the reports in 2020, the president posted a photo on Instagram with his son, writing in the caption: “My son Danilo is an honest and decent young man”.

Media outlets across Europe including Welt, Afton Bladet and El Espanol also claimed his son was filmed attempting to join the fighting on Sunday.

England fan and seven Serbs facing charges after clashes

At a press conference in Gelsenkirchen on Monday morning, Peter Both, the police chief overseeing the match, revealed that one English fan and seven Serbians would face criminal proceedings over the violence.

It is not suggested that Vucic is among them and Both said that the trouble began after England fans tried to get into the restaurant.

He said: “The Serbian fan group was already in the restaurant and obviously ate there and then a larger group of English fans then tried to get into this restaurant as well. And that’s exactly what sparked the dispute.

“What we can hardly say now, of course, in retrospect, is did the Serbs refuse entry to the English or did the English provoke the Serbs? Of course, this can hardly be brightened up afterwards. The fact is that when they tried to enter the pub, there was an immediate physical altercation.”

Both said he would be calling for banning orders for those involved to prevent them attending other matches.

He said: “We subsequently made several detentions. We carried out a total of around 50 identity checks. We took eight fans into custody before the game, who were then unable to watch the game.”

The Serbian president’s office is yet to respond to requests for comment from media organisations.