The Football Union of Serbia issued an official statement in connection with the provocation of fans of the Albanian national team during the 3rd round match of the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament.
At night, when Serbia remained undefeated and won a valuable point at the start of the World Cup qualifying tournament, football suffered the biggest defeat in the stands of the Tyrant National Stadium.
Before the disgusting truth that our players faced on the field, we would like to highlight the fact that the entire delegation of the Football Association of Serbia, from the first to the last minute of its stay in the Albanian capital, was met by an extraordinary technique of the Football Association of Albania and its president Armand Duka. From a meeting at the airport to leaving the bully, we felt respect and care.
Unfortunately, the scenes from the stands that the football world would not want to see the scenes with which Uefa It has been fighting for years through its regulatory bodies and rules, has launched a big place on honest and correct events on the ground. The Football Association of Serbia strongly condemns political outbreaks of hatred through various forms of provocations and shameful chants against terrorist organizations and calls for new crimes.
When words were not enough, our players were also physically threatened. Glasses and bottles flew from the stands, the Italian referee interrupted the match several times, and the official announcer also made an announcement, but all to no avail. These shameful scenes, which began with the playing of the national anthems and continued with outrageous chants and the throwing of objects at Serbian players, not only violated the spirit of sportsmanship and the atmosphere of fair play, but also directly threatened the principles of international respect and tolerance that football should promote.
With gratitude from the Albanian Football Association for the hospitality and pleasant reception during our stay in Tiran, we condemn everything that could be heard and seen in the stands of the national stadium.
Finally, we would like to turn to texts that provide a negative context to statements made during a press conference by coach Dragan Strokovich, which contradict what was said. “As coach of the Serbian national team, during the match, I was focused exclusively on the pitch, the players, the tactics, and the results. I praised the atmosphere in the stadium, in the context of the sporting situation, full of fans and support for the national team, which is always welcome for football as a game.
However, it is understandable that at that moment, I did not fully perceive all the scandalous and insulting messages that came from the stands, which were then recorded and commented on by the media. I want to clearly and unequivocally condemn any chants that insult the Serbian people and the Serbian national team, or anyone else. These phenomena have no place on sports fields.”
It’s absurd when someone accuses Dragan Strekovich of “supporting extremists” and “praising hatred of our people.” “Many times, both during my playing and coaching career, I have demonstrated my patriotism and a sense of belonging to my people,” the national team coach told the Football Association of Serbia website.
