Croatia and Albania in focus
Serbia rages after chants: UEFA initiates proceedings
21.06.2024, 07:38 a.m.
Croatian and Albanian fans are said to have started chanting hate speech at the European Championships. Serbia’s football association is demanding draconian penalties from UEFA, which is investigating the matter. Without a penalty, the Serbs say they might withdraw their team.
The European Football Union (UEFA) has launched an investigation following possible hate chants by Croatian and Albanian fans against Serbia. The focus is on possible racist and discriminatory behavior by supporters of the two teams in the European Championship group match on Wednesday (2:2) in Hamburg, as UEFA announced. The Serbian association had previously temporarily threatened to withdraw from the European Championship.
“This is a scandal and we don’t want something like this to happen again. We want the fans who shouted unacceptable slogans to be punished draconianly,” said Jovan Surbatovic, general secretary of the Serbian Football Association FSS, referring to the chants on Wednesday. A UEFA official also told the English newspaper “The Times” that UEFA had been in contact with the Serbian association, but that a withdrawal had not been discussed.
According to Surbatovic, the Serbs demanded “the strictest measures” from UEFA, “even at the cost of not continuing the competition.” If the associations of Croatia and Albania “are not punished,” “we will think about how to proceed.” If the Serbs actually withdrew their team from the tournament, they would risk not being allowed to take part in the 2028 European Championship.
UEFA is also examining possible sanctions against Albanian national player Mirlind Daku. The European continental association has launched an investigation because the Albanian is said to have made derogatory comments about Macedonians in front of fans via a megaphone following the European Championship match against Croatia. The Macedonian Football Association (FFM) condemned Daku’s “nationalist chants” and late on Thursday Daku apologized.
Relations between Serbia and Albania are considered to be strained not only because of the conflict over Kosovo, but also because of tensions between Croatia and Serbia since the Yugoslavian wars.