New Delhi, June 20, 2024
Serbia have threatened to leave the ongoing Euro 2024 if UEFA fails to take action against alleged chanting between fans of Croatia and Albania. A section of supporters attending the 2-2 draw in Hamburg on Wednesday could be heard taking part in offensive chants aimed at Serbia, a media report said.
The Football Association of Serbia general secretary Jovan Surbatovic said that they may pull out of the tournament if the continental governing body did not sanction both federations, the ESPN reported.
“What happened is scandalous and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even if it means not continuing the competition,” Surbatovic told Serbia’s state broadcaster RTS.
“We will demand from UEFA to punish the federations of both selections. We do not want to participate in that, but if UEFA does not punish them, we will think how we will proceed,” he added.
A journalist from Kosovo, Arlind Sadiku, had his media accreditation revoked by UEFA on Wednesday due to allegations that he made a nationalist gesture toward Serbian supporters during their match against England in Gelsenkirchen.
A statement issued by UEFA read: “UEFA can confirm that one journalist has had his accreditation cancelled due to misconduct at the UEFA EURO 2024 match between Serbia and England on 16 June 2024.”
Following the display of a banner that “transmitted a provocative message unfit for a sports event” and for throwing objects inside the stadium by their fans, the Serbian Football Association was penalized by UEFA.
The development came after the Kosovo Football Federation complained to UEFA about “Serbian fans displaying political, chauvinistic, and racist messages against Kosovo” during their 1-0 defeat to England.
“We were punished for isolated cases and our fans behaved much better than the others,” Surbatovic said.
“One fan was punished for racist insults, and we don’t want it to be attributed to others. We Serbs are gentlemen, and we have an open heart.”(Agency)
