The EURO 2004 Group 9 quaiifier between Serbia and Montenegro and Wales, scheduled to be played in Belgrade on Wednesday 2 April, has been postponed.
The game has been rescheduled for 20 August.
A state of emergency is in force in the country following the assassination of prime minister Zoran Djindjic on 12 March and after consulting the authorities in Serbia and Montenegro, and both national football associations, UEFA decided to postpone the match becauuse of security concerns.
“The Serbian government has declared a state of emergency in Belgrade and do not want any sporting event in the city or surrounding area,” said UEFA director of communications and public affairs Mike Lee.
“Therefore it was appropriate to postpone the game, and the two associations and UEFA have agreed on a new date.
“August 20 is also an international match date, which has been earmarked for friendlies. But we will discuss with FIFA turning this into a full international matchday so that the two associations will have full claim on their players being available,” he added.
The postponement leaves group leaders Wales with three tough Group Nine qualifiers in the space of 22 days at the start of next season. After the match in Serbia & Montenegro, Wales will face Italy away on 6 September and then play Finland back in Cardiff on 10 September
