BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The trial of 14 hooligans charged with fatally beating a French football fan before a Europa League match last September started Wednesday with one defendant expressing sympathy over the death.
Ljubomir Markovic, 29, said he was sorry about the loss of life but pleaded not guilty to a charge of first-degree murder at Belgrade’s High Court.
All 14 defendants are facing the same charge after 28-year-old Brice Taton was attacked in a downtown cafe in the Serbian capital before Partizan Belgrade’s match against Toulouse on Sept. 17. Taton died several days later in a hospital.
Prosecutors said in an indictment that the attack was organized and coordinated, claiming the group was armed with batons and torches before storming the cafe where Taton and other French fans were sitting.
Two suspects, including 25-year-old Djordje Prelic, remain at large and will be tried in absentia. A senior police official has said they are probably hiding in neighboring countries.
Serbia has recently seen a surge in fan violence. A Red Star Belgrade fan was seriously wounded last week in a shooting during a local cup match.
Photos of Brice Dantos after the Partizan attack:
