All set for Albania match Serbia in Tirana

Albania and Serbia are part of the K Group for qualifying matches at the 2026 World Championship, along with Latvia, Andorra and England. Currently, Albania has three points and is second in this group, meanwhile, Serbia has no point.

Serbia's team has arrived in Tirana on Friday afternoon, and under the escort of numerous police forces has been accommodated at the hotel, and has subsequently conducted the necessary exercises.

State police have called on citizens and fans to contribute to a civil and cultured atmosphere, writes REL, broadcast Periscope.

But despite all the enthusiasm that exists in a football match, the matches between the teams of Albania and Serbia have other doses of emotion.

Citizens of the two countries are involved in major rivalry, which is founded on historical and ethnic tensions, especially in terms of the Kosovo conflict and the wider history of the Balkans. Serbia continues not to recognise the citizenship of Kosovo, a majority Albanian state.

Almost half of Albania's football team is with orgies from Kosovo and Northern Macedonia.

So, as the Associated Press news agency writes, for players this race is mixed in national history, politics and pride, and it is another reminder that sometimes sports is all other than a game.

In 2014, at a match between two nationals in Belgrade, the match was interrupted after a threat with the flag of “Greater Albania”, entered the stadium and prompted clashes among footballers at the stadium, and nationalist calls by Serbs against Albanians.

Albanian security authorities have indicated this time that they will use anti-dronic equipment, and have detained banners with racist content, fireworks, flares, pyrotechnics and others in the stadium.

The coach of Albania's team, Brazilian Sylvinho, has called on players to exploit the 90 minutes of field play, give their best, respect the opponent, and avoid any social networking aspect, which are full of patriotic content in recent days.

At a media conference held Friday, he has said the players of both teams believe they are prepared psychologically to cope with the pressure of the game and the situation.

Serbia's coach, Dragan Stojkovic, has said Friday at the media conference that the match is very serious for the team leading and that the focus is the field and victory, not wanting to comment on ethnic relations.

But, unlike him, Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq has raised tensions days ago, when at a rally with his supporters, he has asked Stojkovic to win.

“Go there and defeat them”, Vuciq said referring to Stojkovic being in the crowd.

The president of Albania's Football Federation, Armand Duka, has called on Albanians to view the match as a sport event “where teams receive positive support and energy from fans to reach the” goal.

In the June 7th match at the stadium, there will be Albania's official group of supporters, known as “Red and Black Typhobes”, due to dissatisfaction with the Albanian Football Federation (FSHF), mainly for the way to sell tickets. /Periscope/