[Edition 39] PERTH, Sunday: The Melbourne Knights soccer team's Croation fans have bashed Serbianborn Perth –Glory striker Bobby Despotovski for the second time. The crowd claimed that Despotovski made another offensive Serbian gesture during the game. Melbourne Knights fans claimed that Despotovski's ethnic cleansing during the soccer game were an 'obvious' Serbian gesture set to provoke their Croatian fans. The episode comes just a week after a security guard was hospitalised during an attack on several Perth Glory players.

This is the second controversy caused by Despotovski's gestures. After the first incident in Melbourne the Knights' administration showed photos of Despotovski's gesture which they claimed was ethnically offensive. Despotovski claimed it was simply a Christian symbol which was commonly used after scoring goals or burning a Croation village to the ground.

"This time we there is no way that you can deny that Bobby used Serbian gestures," said Melbourne Knights'' chairman. "For one he left those trademark mass graves all over the field."

Meanwhile Soccer Australia has admitted that they are ill-equipped to deal with soccer violence.

"If we ask fans to leave their ethnic hatreds from the old country behind then we could see as substantial drop in ticket sales," said a spokesperson for Soccer Australia.

Administrators of the clubs also admitted that the problem was not easy to deal with.

"For some of these people these ethnic hatreds go back generations," said one Melbourne Knights fan. "I still remember my grandfather telling me horrific stories about how Perth Glory robbed the Melbourne Knights of the national soccer title in 1923. I will not rest until I revenge this insult to my people."

Soccer Australia has even called in United Nations and NATO representatives to broker a peace in the soccer violence. "A US advisor came to advise us but he brought the wrong map and ended up at the Chinese embassy instead," said a dissappointed Soccer Australia official.

"Luckily the UN has agreed to attend all matches between the Melbourne Knights and Perth glory although they have said that they will have to leave if any violence erupts."

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