UEFA intervenes

“Scandalous!” Serbia threatens to pull out of the European Championships

Serbia's association threatened to withdraw the national team from the European Championships - now the role backwards.

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

After the 1:1 draw against Slovenia, Serbia has distanced itself from a withdrawal from the European Football Championship following allegedly hostile chants by Croatian and Albanian fans. "Strictly speaking, no, that was the first reaction," replied Jovan Surbatovic, Secretary General of the Serbian Football Association, on Thursday when asked whether withdrawal was a real option.

Before the match against Slovenia in Munich, Surbatovic had brought a withdrawal of the national team into play. Sanctions would be demanded from the European Football Union UEFA, "ultimately at the cost of us not continuing with the European Championship", he explained on public broadcaster RTS in Serbia.

According to Surbatovic, however, he still assumes that UEFA will initiate proceedings. He expects strict sanctions, he said. 

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

UEFA investigates
A short time later, UEFA did indeed launch an investigation. UEFA will investigate possible racist or discriminatory behavior by the two fan camps at the match between Albania and Croatia. This was announced by the association on Thursday evening, one day after the 2-2 draw between the two teams in Hamburg. UEFA did not give any details, but the investigation is probably related to the fans' chants in which, according to media reports, they called for the killing of Serbs, among other things.

According to media reports, Croatian and Albanian supporters were conspicuous in the duel between the two nations on Wednesday (2:2) for chants calling for the killing of Serbs, among other things.

UEFA kicks out journalists
UEFA has already withdrawn the accreditation of Kosovan journalist Arlind Sadiku for the European Championship after he made a nationalistic gesture.

Serbia's association had demanded the sanction for Sadiku because he had formed the Albanian double-headed eagle with his hands during a live broadcast of the match against England.

Serbia has already been punished
Serbia has also already been fined 10,000 euros after fans displayed provocative messages. English media also reported that monkey noises were made in the direction of English players during the group match against Serbia. One fan in question was not arrested or expelled from the stadium in Gelsenkirchen, although stewards and police were present.