Albania to appeal UEFA ruling

Albania were deemed to have forfeited the match and fined €100,000 after their players fled the pitch at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade on October 14, claiming to have been physically assaulted by Serbia fans, players and security staff.

Serbia were subsequently handed a 3-0 victory but deducted three points, fined €100,000 and forced to play two matches behind closed doors – a decision the president of Albania’s governing body, Armand Duka, has branded “unfair” and disproportionate to the events that took place.

In a dossier to be submitted to UEFA, Albania’s FA have accused Serbian supporters of chanting racist abuse and highlighted the presence of a number of political banners inside the ground – something that is banned by UEFA.

They have also raised concerns over the presence of Ivan Bogdanov, a convicted Serbian hooligan who walked freely onto the pitch in Belgrade several times before and during the game. 

Bogdanov, 29, was recently released from a three-year prison sentence for instigating a riot in Genoa that forced another European Qualifier against Italy to be abandoned in 2012.

“At the moment we are waiting to receive the arguments from UEFA, within the next 10 to 14 days, and then we will make an official appeal,” Duka confirmed to Sky Sports News HQ.

“From our point of view this decision should not have been taken according to the events that took place. It is unfair and we are very disappointed with it.

Racism claim

“Something that was not taken into account was the racism inside the stadium. The Serbian fans were singing songs like ‘kill, kill the Albanians… kill the Albanians until no-one is left’, and it was not only inside the stadium but outside too.

“There were also political banners all over the place; banners that included infamous Serbian men from the war, some of which have been charged in the Hague for war crimes.

“There was also a part which was not seen, inside the tunnel. Our players fell on each other and were attacked and kicked by fans, stewards and even the Serbian Police. Our captain Lorik Cana is still unable to play because of his injuries.

“At a meeting before the match we were told there was 4000 police at the stadium and 947 stewards. What happened should not have been possible. It was a complete failure to organise a safe football match.”

Albania supporters protested outside UEFA’s offices in Nyon in Switzerland on Sunday and the country’s FA have also prepared a video montage highlighting the political banners, racist chanting and the violence at the match in Belgrade, which will also be sent to UEFA.

Serbia’s FA have previously been reprimanded by UEFA in 2012 after England’s Under-21s were subjected to racist abuse in a match in Krusevac. They were fined €80,000 and Serbia’s U-21s were ordered to play a match behind closed doors – a punishment heavily criticised as ‘paltry’ by both the English FA and the government.

“This is a repeating story. In Genoa there was a riot when Serbia played Italy and everybody knows what happened to the England youth team in Krusevac,” Duka said.

“Ivan is their leader and is responsible. He has recently come out of prison and he is well known. He moved feely around the stadium and he has been mentioned in the information we are passing to UEFA.

“We went there with no fans and no security. We just wanted to play football. But when we arrived we felt the hate of 30,000 people. I cannot begin to describe the emotions we felt. We feared for our lives.”

teamtalk.com