A Serbian football hooligan dubbed “Ivan the Terrible” by Italian media was yesterday jailed for his role in clashes with police that led to an Italy-Serbia match being suspended last October.

Tattoo-covered Ivan Bogdanov, who was handed a three-year, three-month term, was seen in television images egging on violent football fans before the game and then cutting fencing in the stadium.

He was one of four Serbian football fans jailed over the clashes for between 30 and 39 months. Bogdanov, the group’s ringleader, received the longest sentence.

“They come from a culture where you’re punished if you make a mistake. They know they have committed a crime,” said Riccardo Di Rella, a lawyer for one of the men, adding: “If they weren’t Serbian they would already have been freed.”

The Italy-Serbia match on October 12, 2010, in the northern Italian city of Genoa – a qualifier for the 2012 Euro Championship – was suspended after just six minutes of play.

Sixteen people were injured in the clashes including two seriously.

As a punishment after the violence, UEFA ordered Serbia to play a home match, behind closed doors. The match was won 3-0 by Italy.