Euro 2024: UEFA Imposes Fines On Albania And Serbia For Nationalist Fan Banners
European Championship: UEFA has imposed 10,000 euros (USD10,700) fine on both the Albanian and Serbian football federations for the provocative display of nationalist maps during the ongoing European Championship matches.
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The controversy erupted when Albanian fans unveiled a banner depicting a map with Albania's borders extending into the territories of neighbouring countries. This incident occurred during Albania's 2-1 defeat against Italy in Dortmund. Concurrently, Serbian supporters displayed a banner that included the disputed territory of Kosovo with the slogan "No Surrender" during their 1-0 loss to England in Gelsenkirchen.
This echoes a similar case prosecuted by FIFA at the 2022 World Cup when Serbian players were photographed with a comparable banner before a match against Brazil.
In addition to the 10,000-euro fines for transmitting provocative messages, UEFA also levied further penalties. The Albanian federation received an additional 27,375 euros ($29,400) fine for various infractions including the lighting of flares and fireworks, the throwing of beer cups, and a fan invading the pitch. This highlights a broader trend of pitch invasions that have marred the first week of Euro 2024.
The Serbian federation was fined an extra 4,500 euros ($4,800) for similar unruly behaviour, specifically for fans throwing beer cups. Moreover, UEFA has opened a separate investigation into allegations of discriminatory behaviour by Serbian fans, prompted by a formal complaint from the Kosovo football federation.
These sanctions came just hours after Albania secured a dramatic 2-2 draw with Croatia in their second Group B game.