– There are shameful pictures from Serbia’s dressing room, which show a hateful, xenophobic message and a message of genocide against Kosovo, writes Kosovo’s Culture Minister Hajrulla Çeku on Twitter. He refers to a photo taken in Serbia’s dressing room before the 2-0 loss against Brazil in the World Cup. Çeku is one of several who demand that the International Football Association (FIFA) take action against the Serbian Football Association. The reason why the image arouses resentment is because the flag shows the outline of Serbia’s lands where Kosovo is incorporated as part of them. Above the red, blue and white map, the words “No Surrender” are written. – It is a shame that the Serbs still think like that and dream of returning Kosovo by force, says Edvar Celina to news. He is the father of soccer player Bersant Celina, who came to Norway as a refugee from Kosovo. Today he represents the national team of his parents’ home country. news has contacted Fifa and the Serbian Football Association about the photo, but they have not yet responded to our inquiries. Calls the flag an “aggressive act” The conflict between the two countries goes back a long way, and it was only in 2008 that Kosovo declared independence from Serbia. The Serbian authorities have said that they will never recognize Kosovo as an independent republic. At the latest in August, the countries’ leaders met for a crisis meeting with the EU in Brussels after tension had arisen on the border in the north. – We disagree on almost everything, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said of the talks. ASK FOR SANCTIONS: Kosovo football president Agim Ademi calls on Fifa president Gianni Infantino to take action. Here they are pictured during a press conference in September. Photo: ARMEND NIMANI / AFP The Kosovo Football Association and the Kosovo Olympic Committee have lodged complaints with Fifa and the IOC respectively after being made aware of the flag in Serbia’s dressing room. – It is unacceptable that this action is passed over in silence, and we demanded that Fifa strictly follow its rules and punish the Serbian Football Association for this aggressive action that goes against the values of football, says the Kosovo Football Association in a statement. – Such a chauvinistic act does not belong at sporting events, concludes the association. In the World Cup: Serbia is underway in the World Cup, where they lost against Brazil in the opening match. Photo: DYLAN MARTINEZ / Reuters Hope the stars repeat the celebration against Serbia Kosovo became a member of Fifa and Uefa in 2016. The country’s former foreign minister Petrit Selimi wonders if Fifa has suddenly stopped mixing football and politics again. He reminds that Fifa has done just that in the past by refusing European countries to use the OneLove armband. – Kosovo is an equal member of Fifa, folks. This is obscene, writes Selimi on Twitter. During the World Cup in 2018, Serbia and Switzerland met for battle, the latter with two players with Kosovar Albanian roots on the team. Both Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri scored against the Serbs and celebrated by shaping their hands into the “Albanian eagle”, which is the symbol in the country’s Albania flag. PROVOSERTE: This celebration did not go down well with the Serbs. Photo: Laurent Gillieron / AP The celebration was interpreted as a political gesture towards Serbia. On 2 December, the nations meet again in the final match of the group stage. – I hope that Xhaka or Shaqiri scores and celebrates like before, says dad Celina. Xhaka and Shaqiri were fined by Fifa last time they celebrated in this way.
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Kosovo’s football association demands that Serbia be punished over flags in the World Cup – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
