Albania player Miralind Daku banned for two Euro 2024 games after leading crowd chanting nationalist slogans

FRANKFURT, Germany – Albania player Miralind Daku was banned for two games at the European Championship on Sunday for leading fans chanting nationalist slogans that UEFA said brought football into disrepute.

The outlaw took a megaphone and joined in chanting slogans against Serbia and North Macedonia after Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in Hamburg on Wednesday.

Sporting events and results in Hamburg have been the most serious, involving Balkan politics at the Euros, with the most teams from the region playing – and providing a platform for some fans to air their issues.

UEFA said its disciplinary judges found the Outlaws guilty of failing to adhere to general principles of conduct, violating basic rules of civilized conduct, using sporting events for expressions of a non-sporting nature and bringing the game of football into disrepute. Found guilty of. ,

UEFA also ordered the Albanian Football Federation to pay a total fine of $50,500 for incidents that took place at the game, where its fans chanted anti-Serb slogans, reportedly including “Kill the Serbs.”

The Serbian Football Federation said it would quit the tournament if UEFA did not penalize the incidents.

On the field, Albania plays a decisive group-stage game against Spain on Monday. If Albania advances, the Outlaws will also be eliminated from the Round of 16 games.

Outlaw later apologized for his actions in a social media posting, as UEFA appointed an in-house investigator to study his “alleged inappropriate behaviour”.

The 26-year-old forward started playing for Albania last year and used his right under FIFA rules to switch his eligibility to Serbia’s ethnic-Albanian former province of Kosovo, which declared independence 16 years ago.

UEFA also announced charges on Wednesday against its member associations of both Albania and Croatia over “potential racist and/or discriminatory conduct” by fans.

However, only Albania was fined for “broadcasting provocative messages that are not appropriate for a sporting event”.

The Croatia federation was fined just $29,400 for fans lighting the stadium and throwing fireworks.

The Albanian Football Federation or FSHF called on fans to “be responsible and avoid incidents and riots”.

“The FSHF invites fans and football lovers to support the Albanian national team on this magical and historic path to Euro 2024 by showing citizenship and accountability through correct behavior and by respecting the rules and opponents,” it said in a statement. ”

Albania have impressed at Euro 2024 in an opening 2-1 defeat against Italy and then a 2-2 draw with Croatia.

The three national teams of the former Yugoslavia at Euro 2024 – Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia – along with Kosovo’s neighbor Albania, have shown fans how to overcome their shared history in the brutal Balkan war of the 1990s and the diplomatic issues that followed. Can’t be forgotten easily.

Nationalist chants raised the level of hostility at Euro 2024, where provocative banners, such as flags with maps, were expected to bring politics into Germany’s 10 stadiums.

Serbia and Albania were each fined by UEFA for “broadcasting provocative messages” by fans after their opening game. The price for each of them was $10,700 for the first offense.

FIFA was also prosecuted for involving players in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to Serbian fans’ banners regarding Kosovo.

Serbia considers Kosovo as its statehood and the birthplace of the Christian Orthodox religion, and is one of several European countries that does not recognize its independence.

Last week in Germany, a Kosovar television journalist had his credentials revoked by UEFA after making the two-handed Albanian eagle gesture while broadcasting pitch-side to Serbia fans.

Balkan entries at Euro 2024 could have been five had Bosnia-Herzegovina come through the qualifying playoff bracket won by Ukraine in March.

UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer who grew up in the former Yugoslavia, said while attending Serbia’s decisive qualifying game in November that he would “certainly like” to see more of the region Teams qualify.

UEFA has taken a decision this year that could be very symbolic regarding the sport’s ability to unify, at a time when it will not allow any pairing of Kosovan teams against Serbian or Bosnian opponents in its competition draw ceremony for security reasons. Stops in.

The Albanian and Serbian football federations have teamed up, despite opposition from many fans, to co-host the Under-21 Euros in 2027. Other candidates are Belgium and Türkiye.

UEFA’s executive committee – which includes Albania’s vice-president, Armand Duka – is due to vote on the 2027 host in December.