Serbian player threatened at gunpoint after missing penalty

President of the Serbian professional footballers' association calls for action

Former Serbian under-21 international Žarko Udovičić was threatened at gunpoint by his own supporters after missing a penalty kick, world players' union FIFPro have revealed.

The 27-year-old, who plays for Novi Pazar, fired his penalty over the bar in last week's top-flight game against FK Rad two days before several men reportedly broke into the dressing room at the club's training ground and a gun was held to his face.

According to BBC Sport, the defender has since left the Superliga club.

Udovičić's missed penalty, which came in the 85th minute, meant that Rad won the game 1-0 but few would have predicted the events which followed.

FIFPro said: "Like every professional workman, each professional footballer is entitled to a safe working environment. It is up to the football and national authorities to provide such a safe environment."

Mirko Poledica, the president of the Serbian professional footballers' association Nezavisnost, later revealed that neither the Serbian Football Association nor the league had taken any action.

"Must we wait until some hooligan actually kills one of our players?" he said.

"What worries me is that there is no reaction from the football association. They remain quiet.

"They must do something to guarantee the safety of the players. But they don't. Next time a player could be murdered."