
Serbia have threatened to pull out of Euro 2024, hours before their match against Slovenia, accusing Croatian and Albanian fans of chanting about the killing of Serbians. The incident took place during the Group B match in Hamburg on Wednesday (Jun 19) when both sets of fans chanted "Kill, kill, kill the Serb".
Jovan Surbatovic, the general secretary of the Football Association of Serbia, issued the threat and called upon UEFA to take strong action.
"What happened is scandalous and we will ask [European governing body] Uefa for sanctions, even if it means not continuing the competition," Surbatovic was quoted as saying bySerbian state-owned broadcaster RTS.
“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 how will we proceed," he added.
Surbatovic also referred to the $15,000 fine imposed on the Serbian FA afterobjects were thrown and a provocative message was displayed during Serbia's Euro 2024 defeat by England on 16 June. Notably, the Serbian fans had displayed anultra-nationalist banner proclaiming Serbian dominion over Kosovo.
“We were punished for isolated cases and our fans behaved much better than the others. We Serbs are gentlemen and we have an open heart, so I appeal to the fans to remain gentlemen," saidSurbatovic.
UEFA are yet to acknowledge the complaint made by the Serbian FA but if the Balkan country pulls out of the tournament, both Slovenia and Denmark,who they are scheduled to face, would be awarded a 3-0 win.
UEFA on Wednesday cancelled the credentials of a Kosovar journalist named Arlind Sadiku after he made a nationalist double-eagle gesture towards Serbian fans during the match against England.
The gesture is provocative as it mimics the eagle on Albania's national flag. There have been several instances where making the said gesture has led to fights between Serbian nationalists and ethnic Albanians, who make up the vast majority of Kosovo's population.
(With inputs from agencies)