UEFA announced this Monday the opening of disciplinary proceedings against the Serbian Football Federation for the alleged inappropriate behavior of its fans during the match against England (1-0 defeat) in the European Championship, on Sunday, in Gelsenkirchen.
The investigation points to the “throwing of objects” and “provocative messages that have no place in a sporting event”, detailed UEFA in a statement.
While the decision of the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Committee (CEDB) is awaited, the federations of Serbia (FSS) and Kosovo (FFK) denounced each other over the same issue.
FFK accuses Serbian fans of having displayed “flags” and uttering “screams and chants with political and racist messages against Kosovo”.
For its part, the FSS accuses a Kosovar journalist of having made an Albanian nationalist gesture with his hands.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have not ended since the war between Serbian forces and Albanian insurgents (who wanted Kosovo’s independence) in the late 1990s, which left thousands dead and led NATO to intervene against Belgrade.
Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, but Serbia is radically opposed to recognizing it, although it was unable to prevent Kosovo’s admission to UEFA and FIFA in 2016.
Unlike Serbia, Kosovo failed to qualify for Euro 2024.
Source: Gazetaesportiva
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