A 25-year-old fan of the Serbian basketball club Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) died on Friday evening in Istanbul near the playground of a Turkish Airlines Euroleague game with Turkey's Galatasaray.

Tensions between supporters sparked unrest as about 400 Serbian fans had arrived at the venue but were not admitted inside.

Clashes started between the two groups of fans who had not had tickets to watch the game, with rival teams' fans pelting each other with rocks and bottles and police trying to stand in between.

Crvena Zvezda then issued a statement saying "it was understood that one supporter was stabbed and killed while the Red Star fans were being escorted away from the venue."

The incident took place before the match had begun.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!