Eight Romanian soccer fans jailed by Serres court

Eight Romanian soccer fans arrested just after they crossed the border into Greece have been sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment by a court in Serres under fan violence laws.

The period of jail time is mandatory under the new laws and cannot be appealed. The jailed Steaua Bucharest fans can, however, the remainder of their 18-month sentence.

The jailed Romanians, who range in age from 31 to 54, will serve their sentences at Nigrita prison.

The defendants appeared visibly shocked by the sentence imposed on them at Serres courthouse, state broadcaster ERT reported. One of the defendants told the court that he was a businessman and his employees would now be out of a job.

The fans were arrested on Thursday at the Promachonas border crossing between Bulgaria and Greece after a knife and a retractable baton were found in the van they were traveling in ahead of...