UEFA, the European football governing body, announced on Thursday that it has initiated disciplinary proceedings against the Romanian Football Federation for various violations during the Euro 2024 qualification match against Kosovo. These violations include allegations of racism, offensive messages, and disruptive behavior.
The Group I qualification match between Romania and Kosovo, held in Bucharest, was temporarily halted for approximately an hour on Tuesday due to incidents in the stadium. Romanian fans displayed a banner reading “Kosovo is Serbia” and engaged in nationalist chants.
UEFA revealed that it has opened disciplinary proceedings against several football associations following the qualification matches for the upcoming European Championship, including the one involving Romania and Kosovo.
The charges facing the Romanian federation include:
- Blocking public passageways
- Setting off fireworks
- Throwing objects
- Displaying provocative offensive messages
- Engaging in racist behavior
What transpired in Bucharest?
After just 17 minutes of play at the National Arena in Bucharest, French referee Willy Delajod stopped the match. This action was taken after a racist banner was spotted behind Kosovo’s goal, accompanied by nationalist chants from Romanian fans.
The Kosovo players refused to continue playing under these circumstances and promptly informed the match official about the offensive display.
The referee then instructed both teams to return to their respective dressing rooms.
The match resumed after a 50-minute break when a UEFA delegate cautioned the organizers to prevent any recurrence of discriminatory chants.
UEFA had stated on its official website that “due to discriminatory behavior, the match was interrupted until further notice”.
Kosovo, which played with 10 players for most of the match after striker Vedat Muriqi received two yellow cards in the first half, eventually lost 2-0. This result ended their hopes of participating in a major football tournament for the first time in the national team’s history. Kosovo was admitted to UEFA and FIFA in 2016.
Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sports Hajrulla Çeku responded to the incident on his Facebook page, emphasizing that the dignity of Kosovo remained intact despite the provocation.
The Romanian Football Federation issued a post-match response in which it distanced itself from the disruptive behavior of a group of supporters who led to the match’s interruption. The Federation reiterated the principle of non-interference of politics in sports, emphasizing that politics should not play a role in football in Romania.
It is worth noting that Romania is one of five European Union countries, along with Spain, Cyprus, Greece, and Slovakia, that do not officially recognize Kosovo’s independence.
