BBC: two-Albanian celebration provokes Serbs
(8 years ago)Serbs are considering it to be “provocation” celebrating the eagle by the two Albanian goalsmen at the World Cup. Granit Jaka and Gerdan Shaqiri have scored Switzerland's 2-1 victory over Serbia. Their gesture is a nationalist symbol representing Albanian on the Albanian flag. Critics say it could strain situations among Serbian nationalists [...]
Granit Jaka and Gerdan Shaqiri have scored Switzerland's 2-1 victory over Serbia.
Their gesture is a nationalist symbol representing Albanian on the Albanian flag. Critics say this could strain the situation between Serbian nationalists and ethnic Albanians.
Albanian leaders welcomed the two football players' gesture of Albanian origin. A pro-government Serbian newspaper said they were “developed” from Switzerland.
The celebration has brought political tensions to the Balkans at the World Cup stage.
Shaqiri later sought to downplay the celebration by saying “is just an emotion. I'm very happy for the goal. It's not much. I don't think we should talk about this now”.
Jaka and Shaqiri families are from Kosovo, where Serbs are broken into a war with the Albanian people and by the intervention of NATO in 1999, “reported BBC”, report Periscope.
Jaka's father has been held in a former Yugoslavia prison for three years after supporting an independent Kosovo. Shaqiri was born in Sova and his family later as refugees have moved towards Switzerland.
Most of Kosovo's Albanian ethnicity declares independence in 2008, but Serbia and its ally Russia have not recognised it.
Shaqiri in sports shoes has put a Swiss flag on the other side of Kosovo but the Serbian attacker asked “if you love Kosovo so much, why have you refused to play for this team?”/Periscopi/
BOOOOOO!
The Serbian fans are NOT have on Gerdan Shaqiri!♪ SRB ♪ SUI Pic.twitter. com/ V7 IFX1yDm
) Goal (@goal) June 22, 2018
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