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When news that two England U-21 players would be charged by Serbian authorities with criminal crimes in the wake of the team's brawl with Serbia, everyone assumed that Danny Rose was one of the two. He was the reportedly racially abused one in the heart of the fracas, but he actually has been left alone by the police. Instead it is another Tottenham Hotspur player, Steven Caulker, who is facing criminal charges.
BREAKING NEWS: Steven Caulker and Tom Lees have been named as the two England U-21 players charged in Serbia
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 31, 2012
Exactly what Caulker did to warrant charges is unclear, as is the severity of the charges, but there isn't a scenario in which this is good news.
England would have no reason to extradite Caulker to Serbia so the odds of jail time are somewhere between slim and none. The charges could easily be dropped, too. And while an investigation is pending by the police and UEFA, with accusations of racial abuse in a country where it has happened before and unruly fans are not exactly rare, public support will likely be on Caulker's side.
Still, this cannot do Caulker or Spurs any good. Hopefully it is sorted out soon, as is everything else in this bizarre situation.