Albanian Football Association (AFA) expresses to the public opinion, the media and supporters, its stand regarding the Serbia – Albania match, abandoned before the end of the first half.
Making our way to the stadium the Albania Side bus was hit with stones thrown by Serbian fans. Before the team warm-up, a part of the Albanian delegation led by the AFA President, Mr. Armand Duka, was hit with a piece of concrete which was taken as evidence by the UEFA delegate present at the scene. Each time the team or a member of the team showed up at the pitch, the atmosphere became extremely hostile and aggressive on the part of Serbia supporters.
At the end of warm-up Albanian players were hit by a shower of coins, lighters and other objects thrown at them as they were making their way to the tunnel that takes players inside.
Throughout the warm-ups prior to the game, the offensive chants of 30,000 strong repeated “Kill the Albanians” and “Death to Albanians”. Tens of Serbian supporters went over the lateral fence at the left side and were not detained by police for the time that the game ongoing.
Before the national anthems were played the official band played a nationalistic march, that was not part of the program, which created extreme chauvinistic emotions in the stands.
The Albanian Anthem was terribly booed and whistled over, so much so that it was impossible to hear it in the stands or on television.
Stones, hard objects, lighters and pyrotechnics were thrown in the pitch, negatively influencing the game atmosphere, as it can be seen in the videos that are making the rounds or that can be found online. Three Albanian players that got up to warm-up during the game were hit by hard objects, giving reason to UEFA official to move them further away from the stands.
Serbian supporters left the stands, broke the barriers and entered the pitch, causing a melee. As they entered the field, they started punching Albania players and hitting them with hard objects, including stools. Joining them in these violent attacks were stewards and security personnel, the same people that were supposed to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of our players.
In the tunnel that leads to the interior premises, as our players and technical staff were exiting the field and were making their way into the dressing room, they were attacked by supporters, security personnel and the police. As if the pressure endured by these players wasn’t enough, with orders from the Belgrade Prosecutor General, Albanian players and staff underwent a detailed physical search, with police going through every item belonging to the Albanian players and staff.
AFA stands by our National Team’s decision not to continue playing the match, because the Serbian side failed to guarantee the safety and wellbeing of its players. Returning the team to the pitch for the remaining of the match would mean putting at risk the lives of those players.
