After the Nations League game between Romania and Kosovo was canceled, the European Football Union rated the game 3-0 for the hosts. The Kosovars, trained by the German Franco Foda, left the field in stoppage time on Friday evening in Bucharest with the score at 0-0. According to reports, the team felt provoked by Romanian fans who were said to have chanted “Serbia” in the stands.
TV footage also showed how a few players and coaches from the Kosovo team showed the controversial double-headed eagle gesture in the direction of the fans. 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 from Serbia. The Kosovars, in turn, felt that the “Serbia” battle cries reminded them of the massacres of Kosovars carried out by Serbian security forces in the Kosovo War.
Romania is promoted to B League
Similar incidents had already occurred in Romania in September 2023, when the Kosovo team also went to the locker room but came back. This time too, his players wanted to get out again, Foda explained after the game. But since the mood didn’t change and “there were no announcements,” the team decided against it after 45 minutes, said the Kosovo coach. He emphasized after the demolition that he was 100 percent behind this decision.
Thanks to the game ranking, Romania’s promotion to the B league is now perfect. The former World Cup participant was three points ahead of Kosovo in the table. The hosts have to play their next home game in front of empty stands because of racist and discriminatory behavior from their fans. It also imposed several fines totaling 128,000 euros.
