FIFA is investigating the Serbian football team after players left an offensive message to Kosovo in their World Cup dressing room.
A picture circulated online shows a provocative flag hung between two lockers amid escalating tensions between the Balkan states.
The flag was draped across lockers belonging to Serbian players Milos Veljkovic and Andrija Zivkovic in their dressing room during the World Cup.
It features an outline map of Kosovo filled in with a the national flag of Russia-backed neighbour Serbia.
Over the top were the words “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.
Kosovo’s sports minister, Hajrulla Ceku, complained to Fifa about the photo.
He said: “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.”
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The Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) submitted a formal complaint to Fifa on Friday.
It 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.”
It also called for “sanctioning measures against actions that incite hatred between peoples and are against human values.”
Its statement continued: “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.”
Today Fifa said it had charged Serbia citing a section of its disciplinary code covering misconduct including “offensive gestures, signs or language”.
The world governing body said: “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 today: “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.
Its football federation has not commented so far.
Last week we told of fears Vladimir Putin’s brutal war could 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 fresh “violence” 23 years after the brutal Kosovo war.
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 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 Kosovan Serbs who exchanged their Serbian plates for new ones complying with the law.
Kosovo has backing from Nato – but that has not stopped the tensions with Serbia.
Russian authorities continue to defend Serbians rebelling against Kosovo’s government, and say Pristina authorities are deliberately escalating tensions.
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Kosovo and Serbia previously clashed in the Balkan Wars, with the most bloody conflict between 1998-1999, leaving 14,000 dead and thousands missing.
Nato intervened to stop the bloodshed and the province was split in 1999 before declaring independence in 2008.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
