The match between Switzerland and Serbia was out of control.
The match between Serbia and Switzerland, which decided the first group stage of the FIFA World Cup, was colorful in many ways. The winner of the match made it to the playoffs, while the other one’s games would have ended.
In the end, Switzerland defeated their opponents with a score of 3–2. However, the last moments of the match did not really leave a good taste in the mouths of either team.
Kosovo-born Granit Xhaka (left) made the Serbians nervous in the final moments of the match. PDO
When these two countries were drawn into the same starting group, it was known that there would be a ruckus when they met. The Swiss team is played by Kosovar Albanians, such as the team’s leaders Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka.
Xherdan Shaqiri scored Switzerland’s opening goal. For him and Xhaka, knocking off Serbia means a lot. PDO
According to sources, the duo received racist shouts from Serbian supporters. The fans sang racist songs, some of which mentioned the killing of Albanians. of the Guardian interviewed supporter carrying the Albanian flag could not understand why the international football association Fifa allowed the chants to continue until the final moments of the match.
– Kill, kill, kill the Albanians, the songs repeated.
According to his words, the same person was surrounded by Serbs. He was poked, insulted and doused with water. The guards told him to hide the Albanian badges before entering the stands. The call again went against Fifa’s promises to organize safe and welcoming games.
A video has also spread from the stadium, where a fan who formed the wings of the Albanian Eagle with his hands was dragged out of the stands.
In the match, the Swiss midfielder Xhaka got the last and sweet laugh. At the end of the match, he managed to provoke almost the entire Serbian team around him. At one point, he looked towards the Serbian bench and grabbed his crotch, making the substitutes nervous as well.
For Xhaka, knocking out Serbia already in the second World Cup tournament in a row feels significant. His family had to flee Kosovo to escape the police. His Kosovar father opposed the then Yugoslavian regime and was imprisoned for three years. Xhaka’s uncle spent six years in prison.
Serbia, who dropped out of the World Cup, also caused disapproval earlier. In the stadium, its fans used a composite flag with halves of the Serbian and Russian flags.
Fifa also launched an investigation after a flag with the Serbian emblem stamped over the map of Kosovo was found in the Serbian dressing room. Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo.