Albanian star issues statement after being caught leading fans chanting ‘F*** Macedonia’ with megaphone… as UEFA launches TWO investigations after Serbia threatens to SHUT DOWN the Euros

• Albanian Mirlind Daku was filmed leading fans’ derogatory chants
• UEFA opens investigation into chants during Albania-Croatia match
• LISTEN It all begins! What Jude Bellingham needs to do to raise his game

Albanian footballer Mirlind Daku has released a statement after he was caught chanting “f*** Macedonia and f*** Serbs” with a megaphone during Euro 2024.

Daku’s statement comes after UEFA launched two investigations into alleged incidents surrounding Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia on Wednesday.

The governing body confirmed it had appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate Daku’s “alleged inappropriate behavior” after the match in Hamburg.

A separate investigation has been opened into “potentially racist and/or discriminatory behavior by supporters” during the Group B clash.

The Serbian Football Federation had threatened to quit the tournament on Thursday unless UEFA took action, after both groups of supporters could be heard shouting “Kill the Serbs” inside the stadium during the match.

Daku made a statement on social media after footage taken shortly after the final whistle showed him holding a megaphone and shouting derogatory chants in Albanian.

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The chants were translated into English as “f*** Macedonia and f*** Serbs”, while the 26-year-old made rallying gestures for his supporters to join him.

Daku, who previously represented Kosovo before moving to Albanian in 2023, plays at club level for Russian side Rubin Kazan. Serbia is allied with Russia in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022.

His statement did not appear to go as far as offering a full apology, with the attacker not referring to Macedonia or Serbia, but he admitted he may have been offended.

“First of all, I would like to thank everyone who supported us in the good and difficult times of Euro 2024.

“Like any footballer, in these moments the emotions are on another level, where you can only understand on the pitch. It is difficult to describe the feeling of playing for this national team, for these wonderful supporters who give us unlimited love, as is our motto “Love Albania without borders”.

“Feeling that if I offended anyone after the match against Croatia, the effect of the game takes its toll, I continue to work with the whole group on our dreams.

“Forgiveness is multifaceted, and I feel a moral and professional obligation to do so, for all those who have been hurt.”

Daku had come off the bench during the thrilling Euro 2024 clash and helped his side secure a dramatic point late in the game, with compatriot Klaus Gjasula striking deep into injury time.

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The Macedonian FA revealed that it will send an appeal to UEFA against the “nationalist chant” involving Daku.

The striker’s actions were also cited by the Serbian FA in a letter to UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis, which formally asked the governing body to sanction Albania and Croatia.

The organization said it was “surprised” that UEFA’s three-step protocol was not applied amid the chants.

Under the protocol, match officials can stop play and request a stadium announcement to address racist behavior, while the second stage allows the referee to remove players from the field for 10 minutes if the behavior does not stop. not.

If the racist behavior persists after a second replay, the referee may definitively abandon the match.

“As you probably know, between 58 minutes and 28 seconds and 58 minutes and 50 seconds, Croatian and Albanian fans shouted together ‘Kill, kill the Serb,'” the letter reads.

“These were not individuals among the supporters, but a large number of supporters of these national teams, who at that time were not sanctioned in accordance with UEFA regulations, which are clear, as well as the actions of officials in these situations.

“This kind of behavior is unacceptable in any situation, and especially during a major sporting event like this, which is followed across Europe and the world.

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“Instead of the football stadium being a place where you can encourage your own teams and promote a sporting and fair atmosphere, totally unacceptable behavior was observed during this match, which cannot be justified in any way.

“According to the information we have, a player of the Albanian team, after the end of the match, in front of the stand with Albanian supporters, used a megaphone to shout the same cry and thus “ignite” the crowd.

“The Football Federation of Serbia believes that the moment the fans of both national teams started chanting the above-mentioned chants, the match should have been stopped and the “three-step” procedure should have been started.”

Serbia was also upset when a Kosovo TV journalist pointed an Albanian “eagle” sign at fans during a live broadcast of the opening match against England.

Arlind Sadiku, who works for the Artmotion television channel, was banned from the remainder of the tournament for “misconduct.”

The Serbian Football Federation had threatened to withdraw from Euro 2024 if UEFA did not act against Albania and Croatia.

The threat, which the organization has since rowed over, came hours before Serbia’s 1-1 draw with Slovenia, with Luka Jovic’s late goal keeping their Group C qualification hopes alive.

The animosity of Croats and Albanians towards Serbs has its origins in the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1995.

Animosity between Serbia, Albania and Croatia explained

Serbia, Albania and Croatia have a reputation for mutual distrust and, in some cases, hatred due to long-standing ethnic and political grievances.

Serbia and Albania share a tense history, mainly over the Kosovo issue. This small country was once an autonomous province within Serbia, but the majority of its population is ethnic Albanians.

After the breakup of the Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, tensions in Kosovo increased and culminated in the Kosovo War in 1998, during which Serbs and ethnic Albanians clashed for a year and half before NATO intervention. Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, but this was not recognized by Serbia.

The two nations still disagree on the issue today.

Tensions between Serbia and Croatia stem directly from the Croatian War of Independence of 1991-1995.

Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in the summer of 1991, despite resistance from a group of ethnic Serbs, who in turn declared their intention to secede from Croatia.

This escalated into all-out war, with Serbian nationalist President Slobodan Milosevic ordering his supporters to mercilessly massacre Croats, who in turn also committed atrocities against Serbs.

Milosevic was later accused of war crimes, but the two countries still harbor distrust of each other over the brutal killings.

The first-ever meeting between Croatia and Serbia in 2013 was dubbed the “match of the decade” by media in both countries and tickets for the clash in the 34,000-seat stadium sold out within hours.

Although no outside fans were present in the stadium, 1,500 police officers patrolled during the match to prevent any outbreak of nationalism.

Similarly, when Serbia faced Albania for the first time as an independent nation, Euro 2016 qualifying turned into chaos on the pitch and in the stands – and the arrest of the prime minister’s brother Albanian.

UEFA had banned Albanian fans from attending the clash in Belgrade, but opted to allow the two countries to face each other, despite long-standing political tensions.

And when the Albanian flag – complete with a map of Kosovo and the message “autochthonous”, meaning indigenous – was flown above the field using a remote-controlled drone, chaos ensued.

UEFA has already charged the Serbian Federation with two offenses after their defeat against England on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, namely throwing objects and transmitting a provocative message “unfit for a sporting event”.

The latter would be linked to the exhibition of a flag linked to a paramilitary movement engaged in ethnic cleansing during the Yugoslav wars.

The governing body also launched an investigation into claims monkey noises were directed at England players during the clash.

An inspector has been appointed to carry out a disciplinary investigation “into allegations of discriminatory behaviour” – although a resolution is not expected until after the group stages.

Serbia could continue their action after their fans threw bottles onto the pitch during their 1-1 draw with Slovenia on Thursday.

The Albanian Football Federation also faced four charges over incidents during its 2-1 defeat to Italy in Dortmund last week.

The final moments of the game were interrupted by a pitch invader, leading to a charge of “invading the field of play”, while other charges included “throwing objects”, “lighting fires artifice” and the “transmission of an improper provocative message”. a sporting event.