Kosovo FA's Alert to Uefa about Provocation Dismissed by Romania, Who Deny Racist Chants

The highly anticipated match between Group C2 leaders Romania and second-placed Kosovo in Bucharest took a shocking turn when the game was abruptly abandoned in stoppage time. The visiting players walked off the field with the score tied at 0-0 after allegedly hearing pro-Serbia chants from the home fans. However, Romania vehemently denied these claims, sparking controversy and raising questions about sportsmanship and fair play in international football.

The match was initially suspended before being abandoned an hour later when the Kosovo team refused to return to the pitch. Uefa said disciplinary proceedings have been instigated against both federations.

“Cries such as ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ and ‘Serbia, Serbia’ whistling during the singing of the national anthem of Kosovo, throwing hard objects... and other offensive and provocative actions were present throughout the match, creating an unacceptable atmosphere not safe for our players,” the FFK said in a statement.

“FFK had warned the relevant Uefa bodies more than twice in writing about the possibility of such actions, once a few days before the match and then a few minutes before it started.

“Despite these warnings, the Romanian fans continued with irresponsible and discriminatory behaviour, forcing the Kosovo national team to leave the field due to the lack of safety and dignity.”

The FFK also alleged that a Romania official “threatened and assaulted” a Kosovo player.

“For all these serious violations, FFK has immediately reported the incidents to the match delegate and has started preparing a full complaint with facts and evidence that will be submitted to Uefa’s disciplinary bodies,” it added.

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) said it was disappointed by the behaviour of the Kosovo delegation and players, describing their accusations as baseless while also saying their actions were premeditated.

Kosovo players were seen making an eagle gesture with crossed hands directed at Romania fans as they walked off the pitch, much to the ire of the home crowd.

The gesture mimics the eagle on Albania’s national flag, which can inflame tensions between Serbian nationalists and ethnic Albanians, who make up the vast majority of Kosovo’s population.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognised by more than 100 countries, but not Romania.

“It is important to emphasise that there were no racist chants during the match, nor was the slogan ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ chanted even once,” the FRF said.

“We find it regrettable that a football team would choose to leave the pitch and retreat to the locker room just two minutes before the final whistle, given that the result was not favourable to it.”