Nations League: UEFA called for Kosovo to abandon game

After the Nations League game between Romania and Kosovo was canceled, a decision from the European football association UEFA is awaited. In injury time of the game on Friday evening in Bucharest, the guests left the field as a whole. According to reports, they were responding to provocations from Romanian fans who chanted “Serbia” battle cries in the stands.

An hour after the interruption began, UEFA finally canceled the game. Further details will be communicated later, it said. According to UEFA regulations, the Kosovo association must expect sanctions. The Nations League regulations stipulate that the game will be scored for Romania as a consequence.

Time is running out for UEFA’s decision

At the time of the abandonment in the eighth minute of stoppage time, the score was 0-0. On the UEFA website, Romania (12 points) is ranked first in Group C2 and Kosovo (9) is second, with four games instead of five.

On Monday, Kosovo hosts Lithuania in the final group game, Romania meets third-placed Cyprus (6). The playoffs will be drawn next Friday, in which the runners-up in League C will also be involved. UEFA must have decided by then.

Kosovo coach Foda justifies his players’ behavior

“It’s important that we treat each other with respect, both on and off the pitch,” said Franco Foda, the German coach of the Kosovo national team, after the game. “Unfortunately at the end of the game that respect was lost.” The team therefore decided to leave the field. She actually wanted to return to the pitch, but “the problem was that nothing had changed in the situation in the stadium,” said the former Bundesliga professional.

Romanian media claimed that the fans in the stadium were provoked by Kosovo players. TV footage showed a few players and coaches from the Kosovo team showing the controversial double-headed eagle gesture in the direction of the fans.

Were Romanian fans provoked?

This symbolizes the Albanian national identity and is often used by ethnic Albanians to express their attachment to their homeland. However, for many Serbs, the double eagle reminds of the losses in the Kosovo war in 1998 to 1999 and the secession of Kosovo, which is mainly inhabited by Albanians, from Serbia. The Kosovars, in turn, feel reminded by the “Serbia” battle cries of the massacres of Kosovars carried out by Serbian security forces in the Kosovo War.

After minutes of discussions with the referee, the Kosovo team left the interior and went to the dressing room. About three quarters of an hour later the Romanians left the pitch. After a loudspeaker announcement, the spectators left the stadium.

The Romanian national team said on its Facebook page that it was regrettable that the Kosovars abandoned the match in defiance of the spirit of fair play. “This reflects a lack of respect not only for football but also for the efforts of footballers on the field.”