Ruud Gullit has insisted that he can completely understand the reaction of Danny Rose and has demanded that UEFA take action against Serbia following Tuesday's ugly scenes.
Rose was sent off for kicking the ball away after suffering racist abuse while representing the England Under-21 side as they qualified for the European Championships.
A mass brawl ensued following the incident and Gullit has challenged UEFA to take effective action against racism in football.
He told The Mirror: "I demand to know if UEFA are really going to sanction Danny Rose. The boy's reaction to kick the ball away was a very innocent and understandable reaction. An obvious one under the circumstances.
"I know what should have happened. The game should have been stopped as soon as the crowd made their racist chants and noises. Games must be stopped when this kind of racism towards black players occurs.
"It's a cancer which is growing bigger under the current economic pressures. For this reason I demand to know what UEFA is going to do now against the terrible behaviour of the Serbs."
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has admitted that he may be forced to leave Rose out of Sunday's Tyne-Wear derby if he is still coming to terms with what took place in Serbia.
