The Serbian Football Association has threatened to withdraw from the UEFA European Championship (Euro 2024) currently being held in Germany. The Daily Mail reported that the Serbian Association warned of this withdrawal if the European governing body does not impose strict penalties against Croatia and Albania. It was clarified that fans of both teams directed offensive chants against Serbia during their match on Wednesday, amid long-standing political tensions between the countries. The newspaper continued that the offensive chants did not sit well with the Serbian Association, which called on UEFA to take the necessary actions.
Serbians also felt unhappy when a journalist from Kosovo directed the Albanian "eagle" sign towards Serbian fans during a live broadcast before their opening match against England; the journalist was later suspended for the remainder of the tournament due to "misconduct".
Yovan Surbatović, the Secretary-General of the Serbian Association, stated, "What happened is a scandal, and we will ask UEFA to impose penalties, even if this means not completing the tournament." He added, "We are confident they will be punished, as they have already responded to our call by removing the Albanian journalist from the tournament."
He noted that the Serbian Association has faced penalties for individual cases but emphasized that the behavior of their fans was generally much better than others. He said, "One fan was penalized for racial insults, and we do not want this to be applied to others. We Serbs are respectful and kind, so I urge the fans to remain so."
On Wednesday, UEFA imposed a fine of 10,000 euros on both Serbia and Albania for "inappropriate provocative messages during a sporting event," which were directed by fans from both teams. English media reported that monkey sounds were directed towards players during the match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen last Sunday, yet no fan was arrested or expelled from the stadium during the match, which England won 1-0, despite the presence of supervisors and police. UEFA mentioned that it is investigating an alleged incident of racial discrimination.
