By Andrew Warshaw
May 23 – Kosovo’s bid for international recognition on the world stage has been handed a massive boost after FIFA gave its 208 member countries permission to start playing friendlies against the Balkan province.
Both FIFA and UEFA, world and European football’s governing bodies, respectively, have always blocked Kosovo’s hopes because the province’s sovereignty has never been recognised by the United Nations.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008.
However, FIFA President Sepp Blatter (pictured above, left) nevertheless has proposed to his Executive Committee that Kosovo should now be allowed to play matches, an idea that was approved despite reported opposition by UEFA’s eight voting members on the 24-man panel.
“It’s not recognition of Kosovo as a country, but it’s recognition that it’s a country where you play football,” FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke said.
“It gives them a credibility.
“They were concerned that their players were taken away by clubs in other countries.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia have all created national teams since the break-up of Yugoslavia, leaving Kosovo (pictured above, in blue) out on a limb.
“This is a great day for football in Kosovo,” Kosovo Football Federation (FFK) President Fadil Vokrri (pictured top, right), the former Yugoslavia international forward, was quoted as saying.
“This achievement arrived after years of hard work facing obstacles and obstruction.
“Today, the whole football community of Kosovo – players, clubs, officials – thanks the FIFA president, Mr Blatter, warmly for having defended the values of the universality of the game and supported the principles of the FIFA Statutes.”
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