September 22 – The Football Association of Kosovo (FFK) has reacted strongly to UEFA’s decision to punish the Romanian Football Federation (FRF) with a fine of €52,000 and one match to be played in front of empty stands, saying the sanction should be greater.
UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the FRF following anti-Kosovo messages during the European 2024 qualification between Romania and Kosovo last week.
The match was interrupted for nearly 45 minutes after flags with the inscription ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ were displayed in the stands. Romania does not recognize Kosovo as an independent state.
According to the Football Association of Kosovo, Romania’s sanction is too light and they called on UEFA to punish the country more aggressively. The FFK leadership said UEFA is setting a bad example for the rest of the world.
Hours after UEFA announced the punishment of Romania, the FFK said in a statement: “The Football Federation of Kosovo expresses its dissatisfaction with the decision of the UEFA disciplinary bodies to punish the Football Federation of Romania with €52,000 and a match without spectators.
“FFK will continue its legal path and will file a complaint with the relevant UEFA bodies, demanding that the penalty against the Romanian Football Federation be as high as possible, not only financially, but also in other forms, in order to serve as an example that UEFA will not tolerate in any way such racist insults against a member Federation and against an internationally recognized country.
“FFK is committed to ask UEFA, through the penalties against the Romanian Federation, to make it clear to any federation, fan group or any other interest group, that the state of Kosovo, the national team of Kosovo and the Football Federation of Kosovo, must be treated and respected in the same way as any country, national team, and other European Federation that is a member of UEFA.”
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at moc.l1734912663labto1734912663ofdlr1734912663owedi1734912663sni@o1734912663fni1734912663