Serbia team charged by Fifa over ‘hateful’ Kosovo flag on players’ lockers at Qatar World Cup amid fears of ethnic war
FIFA are investigating the Serbian football team after players left an offensive message to Kosovo in their World Cup dressing room.
The Serbian team may have escalated tensions with Kosovo after a controversial flag was found in their dressing room at the World Cup.
The words “No Surrender” were written across an outline of Kosovo filled in with the Serbian flag
EPASerbian fans holding the flag in the stands while watching their team play against Brazil on Thursday[/caption]
GettySerbian team player Andrija Zivkovic during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group G match between Brazil and Serbia[/caption]
Milos Veljkovic of Serbia in action during the match between Brazil and SerbiaRex
The offensive flag featured a drawing of pro-European Kosovo filled in with a picture of the Russian-tied Serbian flag.
Inside the outline was also the message “No Surrender.”
The flag was also held up by Serbian supporters during the Brazil v Serbia match on Thursday November 24.
In 2008 Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, but the ally of Russia refuses to recognise it as an independent country.
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Kosovo’s sports minister, Hajrulla Ceku, took to Twitter and posted this message: “Disgraceful images from Serbia locker room, displaying hateful, xenophobic and genocidal messages towards Kosova, while exploiting FIFA World Cup platform.
“We expect concrete actions from FIFA considering that the Kosovo Football Federation (FFK) is a full FIFA and UEFA member.”
On Friday, the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) submitted a complaint to Fifa.
In their statement they said: “Such acts of chauvinism have no place in a sports event, and even less inside the facilities where the biggest event of world football takes place, therefore FFK, as an equal member with all other members of Fifa, demands from this institution to undertake sanctioning measures against actions that incite hatred between peoples and are against human values.
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“It is unacceptable for this act to pass in silence, therefore we strongly request that Fifa strictly implement its rules and punish the football federation of Serbia for this aggressive action and against the values that football conveys.”
In response, Fifa have issued a statement which read: “The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has opened proceedings against the Football Association of Serbia due to a flag displayed in their dressing room on the occasion of the Brazil v Serbia.
“The proceedings were opened on the basis of article 11 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and article 4 of the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup 2022.”
The FFK also said: “The World Cup is an event of joy and unity and should send messages of hope and peace, not messages of hatred. We call FIFA to take action against such actions.”
Serbia, who lost 2-0 to Brazil, are due to face Cameroon in their next match on Monday November 28.
Their football federation did not respond when asked for comment.
This comes as it is feared Vladimir Putin‘s brutal war may become the backdrop for a wave of violence between Kosovo and Serbia.
Peace talks failed to defuse a bitter row over car licence plates, leaving the region “on the verge of conflict.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned that the failure to resolve the long-running issue may spark “violence.”
And Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic warned of “hell on the ground” if Kosovo does not back down in the dispute.
The row came to a head this week after Kosovo declared a deadline for cars in the majority-Serbian north of the country to re-register cars with Kosovan plates.
And while seeming petty, the move has sparked fury in Belgrade.
At least eight fire bombings have already taken place against Kosovo Serbs who exchanged their Serbian plates for ones representing Kosovo.
Kosovo has backing from NATO – but that has not stopped the tensions with Serbia.
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Russian authorities continue to defend Serbians rebelling against Kosovo’s government, and say Kosovo authorities are deliberately escalating tensions.
Kosovo and Serbia previously clashed in the Balkan Wars, with the most bloody conflict between 1998-1999, leaving 14,000 dead, thousands missing, and an intervention by NATO.
