UEFA launches investigation into chants in Albania and Croatia after Serbia threatened to pull out of Euro 2024

UEFA has launched an investigation into Serbia’s claims that fans of Albania and Croatia chanted “Kill, kill, kill the Serb” during their Group B match on Wednesday.

In a statement released late Thursday, European football’s governing body said an ethics and disciplinary inspector had been appointed “to conduct an investigation into possible racist and/or discriminatory behaviour” by fans during the 2-2 draw in Hamburg.

It was further stated that the inspector would also investigate the “alleged inappropriate conduct” of Albanian striker Mirlind Daku.

Albania’s late equaliser sparked wild celebrations after the match and the 26-year-old was said to have shouted “Fuck Macedonia” and “Fuck Serbs” into a megaphone. Daku, who plays for Russian club Rubin Kazan, previously played for Kosovo before moving to Albania in 2023.

UEFA’s investigation into the two incidents follows a threat from the Serbian Football Association (FSS) that it would consider withdrawing from the 2024 European Championship if the governing body failed to punish its Albanian and Croatian counterparts.

Speaking to Serbian state broadcaster RTS on Wednesday evening, FSS General Secretary Jovan Surbatovic said: “What happened is a scandal and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even if this means that the competition will not continue.”

A formal request for sanctions came from the FSS in a letter that The athlete to UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis on Thursday.

Referring to the “shameful joint chants by fans of both teams, directed against the Serbian nation as a whole”, the FSS stated that the chants took place in the 59th minute of the match and did not come from individuals, “but from a large number of fans of these teams”.

The letter describes the chants as “completely unacceptable” and “impossible to justify” and says that Daku tried to “incite the crowd.”

(Sergei Mikhailichenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Regarding the “Kill the Serb” chant, the FSS asked UEFA why it had not introduced a three-stage procedure to combat racist incidents in stadiums.

This rule, which came into force in 2009, allows referees to stop play to address racist behaviour through a public announcement. If this fails, the referee can remove players from the field for up to 10 minutes while further requests are made to stop the behaviour. If this fails, the referee has the authority to abandon the game.

“The rule has been properly applied in cases of much lower intensity, so we are all surprised that it was not applied in this game,” FSS wrote.

The letter concluded by saying that the FSS believes UEFA will “respond in the right way” and “urgently and severely punish” those responsible for the chants, which it said had “not been heard at a sporting event for a long time.”

UEFA has already fined the Albanian Football Association almost £32,000 for the behaviour of its fans during the opening match against Italy on Saturday. Fans were punished for throwing objects onto the pitch, setting off fireworks, storming the pitch and “conveying a provocative message inappropriate for a sporting event”.

A Kosovar television reporter was also banned from working at the tournament for making a double-headed eagle sign towards Serbian fans during Serbia’s opening match against England on Sunday. The gesture, made with clasped hands, represents the flag of Greater Albania and has been the source of considerable resentment between ethnic Albanians and Serbs for years.

However, Serbia has already been sanctioned by UEFA.

FSS was fined just over £12,000 for the behaviour of its fans during the England match, which included fans displaying a banner affirming Serbia’s claim to the predominantly Albanian Republic of Kosovo.

In addition, seven Serbian fans were arrested by police after clashes with English supporters before the match in Gelsenkirchen, and UEFA launched an investigation into reports of racist chants against the black English players during the match.

The Albanian Football Association did not respond to a request for comment, but a spokesman for the Croatian Football Association said: The athlete It is not believed that Croatian fans were involved in “racist or discriminatory chants” during the match against Albania, adding that this was not mentioned in the UEFA match delegate’s report either.

Serbia scored a last-minute equaliser against Slovenia, another former Yugoslav republic, on Thursday to keep its chances of advancing in the tournament alive.

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Serbia threatens to withdraw from Euro 2024 because of offensive chants

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