Fighting broke out before the Oct. 11 game as England fans tried to get into the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb. Croatian security staff decided to close the gates, and England fans clashed with riot police.

UEFA charged both the FA and the Croatian federation Wednesday for allowing the trouble to happen. FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said the association is confident it will escape any punishment when it appears before a UEFA disciplinary hearing Nov. 9.

``We will go to UEFA with what we consider a very strong case and the intention to clear ourselves,'' Bevington said. ``We made it clear after the game that we were unhappy with the treatment of our supporters and we have received a huge amount of correspondence from England fans who attended the game, explaining the problems they encountered.''

Bevington said the main cause of the trouble was the way the Croatian security staff dealt with the fans.

``Unfortunately, we do not believe the agreed plans were followed by Croatian authorities in Zagreb and this lead to a bottleneck at the turnstiles when they were suddenly closed twice before the game,'' Bevington said.

``As a result of the bottleneck, riot police baton charged the England supporters closest to the turnstiles and a number of them suffered injuries. We will be contesting the charge vigorously.''

If the FA is found guilty, UEFA has the power to order England to play a home game in an empty stadium, although the most likely outcome appears to be a fine.