Kosovo has announced that it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) UEFA’s decision to award them a 3-0 defeat after they left the field during the Nations League match against Romania last Friday in Bucharest. The match was suspended when the Kosovar players decided not to return to the pitch due to pro-Serbian chants coming from the home crowd.
The incident occurred in second-half stoppage time, when the Kosovo players heard chants such as “Serbia” and “Kosovo is Serbia”. The Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) denounced the xenophobic provocations and said it had warned UEFA about the possibility before the match.
UEFA SANCTIONS BOTH TEAMS
UEFA determined that Kosovo, by abandoning the match, in effect abandoned the match, handing the victory to Romania, which secured its perfect record in Group C2. It also sanctioned the Romanian Federation with a fine of 128,000 euros and forced it to play its next match behind closed doors for xenophobic chants against Kosovo and Hungary, as well as for other inappropriate behavior by its fans, such as throwing objects and lighting fireworks.
For its part, Kosovo was fined €6,000 for the “improper conduct” of its team during the match. These sanctions are in addition to the €61,000 fine FFK received last month for the conduct of its fans during the first leg against Romania in Pristina.
KOSOVO DEFENDS ITS POSITION
Kosovar team manager Bajram Shala argued that the decision to leave the pitch was a reasonable measure in the face of xenophobic chants and provocations: “Our players were emotionally hurt. It was a way of showing that racist chants have no place in football.” Shala emphasized that the appeal seeks justice and different treatment from UEFA.
The FFK insists that the decision to leave the field was led by the team and not dictated by the federation. According to Shala, the chants hurt the pride of the players, who decided that they could not continue to represent their country under such conditions.
ROMANIA DENIES THE ACCUSATIONS
The Romanian Federation, for its part, accused Kosovo of leaving the field premeditatedly and acting in a provocative manner. UEFA also singled out Romania for other incidents during the match, including disturbances during the national anthems and the blocking of public corridors in the stadium.
This is not the first such incident between the two teams. Last year, UEFA sanctioned Romania for pro-Serbian chants and banners at a Euro 2024 qualifier at the same stadium.
A CONTROVERSY THAT CONTINUES TO GROW
Kosovo has made it clear that it is not willing to accept UEFA’s decision without a fight: “We appreciate that UEFA took action, but we feel that justice has not been done,” said Shala. The appeal to CAS will be the next step in a dispute that reflects the political and cultural tensions still present in European football.
The dispute highlights the pressure on UEFA to deal more effectively with cases of racist and xenophobic chanting, which continue to tarnish the image of football in Europe.
