Serbia has sent a letter of complaint to UEFA alleging that Serbian sports clubs in northern Kosovo are under pressure and threat.
In the letter sent by the Serbian Football Federation (FSS) to UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin, it was argued that Kosovo institutions have recently put pressure on Serbian sports clubs.
“Pristina institutions prevent Serbian club football players and sports professionals from training in their own stadiums and do not allow tournaments of a local character,” he said.
While it was claimed that Serbian clubs in Kosovo were threatened, it was reported that UEFA made a request to put an end to what was being done.
Pointing out that they do not want to escalate the tension, the letter said, “We will never allow the activities of Serbian football players and sports workers on a local basis to be hindered, and we will not give up our struggle.” it was said.
Reply from the Minister of Sports of Kosovo, Çeku
Kosovo Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku, stated that the facts were distorted in the letter FSS sent to UEFA.
Çeku shared on his social media account.
“In addition to distorting the truth, the FSS’s letter also uses derogatory language. Serbia has for years organized parallel, illegal activities as part of its official championships in certain areas within the borders of the Republic of Kosovo. Kosovo is a sporting country, but we respect our constitutional order, European and world sporting rules. We will not tolerate illegal activities that violate the law.”
Ceku emphasized that the Kosovo Football Federation (FFK) has full membership to UEFA and FIFA, and called on all sports clubs to be a part of the country’s legitimate system.
FFK stated that the competitions organized by Serbia on the territory of Kosovo were unacceptable and requested the institutions to take urgent measures.
The federation was accepted as a full member of UEFA and FIFA in 2016, but sports competitions, especially in the northern part of the country where mostly Serbs live, continue to be organized by Serbia.
Meanwhile, Serbia still regards Kosovo, which declared its independence unilaterally in 2008, as its own territory, while the two countries, which have come face-to-face politically many times, have brought the tensions between them to the field of sports.
