By Andrew Warshaw
September 26 – FIFA is being urged by Kosovan-born players not to renege on a pledge to offer the Balkan state partial acceptance into the international set-up.
The Kosovan issue is not formally on the agenda of the two-day FIFA Executive Committee in Zurich starting tomorrow but the terms of allowing them some kind of status seem highly likely to be discussed.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 but has yet to obtain United Nations admission, which is why it is not allowed to join UEFA.
However, FIFA said a few months ago that Kosovo could play international friendlies against certain countries, only for Serbia to fiercely object, leaving FIFA President Sepp Blatter in an awkward position.
Recently, the fledgling Kosovo Football Federation’s (FFK) President Fadil Vokrri organised a petition signed by up to 12 players either who have Kosovan heritage or who are sympathetic to the region’s cause.
They included arguably Switzerland’s three best players Bayern Munich midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, Napoli’s Valon Behrami (pictured top) and Borussia Mönchengladbach player Granit Xhaka (pictured below).
In a covering letter to Blatter and members of the FIFA Executive Committee, Vokrri hailed the “historical milestone” of agreeing in principle to let Kosovo teams play international friendlies.
“We are only claiming the right to play friendly matches with teams and clubs of the football associations which want to play with us, in particular from the countries which have so far recognised Kosovo as an independent state,” he wrote.
FIFA’s dilemma is whether to set a precedent by embracing Kosovo.
Asked whether Kosovo would ever become a full member of both FIFA and UEFA, Vokrri was quoted as saying: “We are working on that direction, but we can’t predict it, seeing that the statues of FIFA and UEFA aren’t the same.
“Even before the petition was sent to FIFA offices, Sepp Blatter’s mind was with Kosovo.”
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