The UEFA charged the Spanish and Russian football associations on Tuesday for racist chants by fans at the European Championship.
The charges follow reports that monkey noises were directed by Spain fans at Italy forward Mario Balotelli, and that Russian fans targeted Czech Republic defender Theodor Gebre Selassie.
The UEFA said it opened disciplinary cases for “improper conduct of their supporters (racist behaviour, racist chanting).”
The European football body said its disciplinary panel will deal with the cases on Thursday.
Spain and Russia will likely receive financial penalties if the cases are proven.
Still, the UEFA has threatened Russia with a six-point deduction in its 2016 European Championship qualifying group after some fans attacked stadium stewards in Wroclaw following the Czech match on June 8, 2012. The UEFA has said the deduction would be enforced if fans repeated their violent behaviour.
In the first proven case of racist abuse at Euro 2012, the UEFA fined the Croatia football association €80,000 ($100,000) for a range of charges including insults directed at Balotelli.
Discrimination monitors appointed by the UEFA reported that around 300 Croatia supporters made monkey noises at the Italy forward during a June 14, 2012 match in Poznan.
A Spanish fans’ group previously reported that some Spain followers made monkey noises at Balotelli during a June 10, 2012 match in Gdansk. The group, affiliated to the Football Supporters Europe network, said other Spanish fans intervened urging the offenders to stop.
Gebre Selassie acknowledged that he was racially abused by Russians during the opening group match but declined to file a complaint.
The UEFA received reports from monitors supplied by FARE, a Europe-wide fans’ network, and later asked Czech team officials to help provide evidence which could be used to prosecute the case.
