Serbs change their minds, accusations against Albanian fans. Federation and coach react harshly

2025-06-09 15:31:00, Sport CNA

Serbs change their minds, accusations against Albanian fans. Federation and

The Albania-Serbia match, which ended in a goalless draw, ended without incident at the "Air Albania" stadium.

Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic described the atmosphere as positive and praised the Albanian fans for their behavior. He called on Serbian fans to show the same calm in the return leg. However, he was later criticized by Serbian fans and appears to have changed his stance.

The Serbian Football Federation released a statement condemning the behavior in the stands of the stadium in Tirana. They emphasized that the reception by the Albanian Federation had been respectful, but there were scenes in the stands of the stadium that were considered offensive and inappropriate.

The statement mentions shouting and throwing objects, which they say violate the spirit of sportsmanship and international respect.

"On the night when Serbia remained undefeated and earned a valuable point at the start of the World Cup qualifiers, football suffered its biggest defeat in the stands of the stadium in Tirana.

In the face of the ugly truth that our players faced on the field, we would like to emphasize the fact that the entire expedition of the Football Federation of Serbia, from the first to the last minute of their stay in the Albanian capital, was greeted with an extraordinary welcome by the Albanian Football Federation and its president, Armand Duka. From the reception at the airport to the departure from Tirana, we felt respect and attention.

Unfortunately, scenes from the stands that the football world would not want to see, scenes that UEFA has been fighting for years through its regulatory bodies and regulations, have cast a huge stain on fair and just events on the field. The Football Association of Serbia strongly condemns political outbursts of hatred through various forms of provocations and shameless calls to terrorist organizations and calls for new crimes.

When words were not enough, our players were also physically threatened. Coins, full glasses and bottles flew from the stands, the Italian referee stopped the match on several occasions and the official announcer also made his announcement, but all without results. The shameful scenes that began with the whistling of the anthems and continued with outrageous cheers and throwings at the Serbian players, not only violate the spirit of sportsmanship and the atmosphere of fair play, but also directly threaten the principles of international respect and tolerance that football is supposed to promote.

"Thanking the Albanian Football Federation for the warm welcome during our stay in Tirana, we condemn everything that could be heard and seen from the stadium stands."

Stojkovic, in his statement made later, said that he had not recorded all the details during the match and condemned any offensive chants against Serbia.

"As the coach of the Serbian national team, my focus during the match was on the field, on the players, tactics and the result. I appreciated the atmosphere in the stadium in the context of the sporting atmosphere, full stands and support for the national team, which is always welcome for football as a game.

However, it is normal that at that moment I did not fully register all the scandalous and offensive messages that came from the stands, which were later recorded and commented on in the media. I want to clearly and unequivocally condemn any chants that insult the Serbian people and the Serbian national team, or anyone else. Such phenomena have no place on sports fields.

"It is absurd for someone to accuse Dragan Stojkovic of "supporting extremists" and "praising hatred towards our people". I have proven my patriotism and sense of belonging to my people many times, both during my career as a player and as a coach," the Serbian coach said to his federation.