World Cup 2022: Fifa opens disciplinary against Serbia over controversial Kosovo flag

The arguable emblem was besides held up by Serbia fans successful the stadium

Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Serbia's shot relation aft its squad hung a arguable emblem depicting Kosovo successful their dressing country anterior to their World Cup decision by Brazil.

Tensions are running high betwixt taste Serbs and the Albanian-led authorities successful Kosovo, amid fears unit could flare up again, 23 years aft the Kosovo war.

Kosovo declared independency from Serbia successful 2008 but Serbia - an state of Russia - does not recognise it arsenic an autarkic country.

On Friday, the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) submitted a ailment to Fifa, football's satellite governing body, implicit Serbia's "chauvinistic rhetoric".

In a statement, it said: "Such acts of chauvinism person nary spot successful a sports event, and adjacent little wrong the facilities wherever the biggest lawsuit of satellite shot takes place, truthful FFK, arsenic an adjacent subordinate with each different members of Fifa, demands from this instauration to undertake sanctioning measures against actions that incite hatred betwixt peoples and are against quality values."

It added: "It is unacceptable for this enactment to walk successful silence, truthful we powerfully petition that Fifa strictly instrumentality its rules and punish the shot federation of Serbia for this assertive enactment and against the values ​​that shot conveys."

Kosovo's sports minister, Hajrulla Ceku, said it expected "concrete actions" from Fifa against Serbia's "hateful, xenophobic and genocidal messages".

Fifa's proceedings were opened connected the ground of nonfiction 11 of the Fifa disciplinary code, which is "offensive behaviour and usurpation of the principles of just play" and includes "using a sports lawsuit for demonstrations of a non-sporting nature", arsenic good arsenic nonfiction 4 of the regulations for the 2022 World Cup which refers to team's responsibilities astatine the tournament.

Kosovo was accepted into Uefa and Fifa successful 2016 but nether Uefa rules, Serbia and Kosovo tin not play each different successful World Cup qualifying due to the fact that of the tensions betwixt the 2 countries.

Serbia were beaten 2-0 by Brazil successful their World Cup opener successful Qatar connected Thursday, and play Cameroon successful their adjacent Group G fixture connected Monday.

Kosovo did not suffice for the World Cup.

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