UEFA anxious as Euro 2024 participant threatens to pull out of tournament

The Euro 2024 has been a thrilling football spectacle so far, with great games left and right. There have been some instances where political narratives sneak into the playing field, smudging the beautiful game. Historical conflicts have fuelled tensions between Serbia, Croatia, and Albania.

The Serbian national team has threatened to quit the Euro 2024 early unless UEFA imposes strict punishment on the Croatian and Albanian federations, following offensive chants during their clash on Wednesday, 19 June, according to Daily Mail.

Despite condemning other fans, the Serbian federation also faces UEFA fines due to provocative actions by their supporters against England. This only further complicates their stance against UEFA.

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During the Croatia-Albania fixture, both sets of supporters could be heard shouting 'K*** the Serbs'. Naturally, this has not gone down well with the Serbian team, which demands action from Europe's top football authorities.

"What happened is scandalous and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even at the cost of not continuing the competition. We are sure that they will be punished because they have already responded to our appeal to remove the so-called journalist from Albania from the championship," shared Jovan Surbatovic from the Serbian FA.

"We will demand from UEFA to punish the federations of both selections. We do not want to participate in that, but if UEFA does not punish them, we will think about how we will proceed," added Surbatovic in the statement.

The Serbian national team secured a late draw against Slovenia (1-1) after Luka Jovic sent a header into the back of the net. The former Real Madrid striker snatched a point in the last second.

Nevertheless, Serbian fans were spotted throwing their beer cups onto the pitch, targeting Slovenian players. This type of behaviour will do little to help their current position with UEFA.

Albania, Croatia, and Serbia are among several nations that share a complicated past marked by ethnic tensions and territorial disputes in the former Yugoslavian territory. A conflict that is still very present in the minds of many from the region.

Croatia and Serbia fought a brutal conflict from 1991 to 1995, triggered by Serbia's nationalistic views under Slobodan Milosevic.

Albania's conflict with Serbia centres around the issue of Kosovo, a region that is regarded as ethnically Albanian in population. The region declared independence in 2008, but the move was staunchly blocked by Serbia.

There is no room for violence and terrorism in the world of football. It has always been a unifying sport for people across the world. To many, it is "the people's game" and a positive way to bridge communities together.

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