UEFA suspends Albanian footballer for two Euro 2024 games due to nationalist chants

Mirlind Daku of Albania suspended for two games on Sunday after leading fans in nationalist chanting at the EURO 2024, which UEFA claimed brought football into disgrace. Daku grabbed a microphone following Albania's 2-2 tie with Croatia on Wednesday in Hamburg and began yelling chants against Serbia and North Macedonia.

The events and consequences from the game in Hamburg have been the most severe involving Balkan politics at a Euros, with most teams from the area competing and providing a platform for some supporters to express their grievances.

It has also exposed schisms in soccer between Albania and Serbia at a time when their soccer federations have attempted to mend them by partnering, despite objections from many supporters, to co-host the Under-21 Euros in 2027.

On Sunday, UEFA said that its disciplinary panel had found Daku guilty of "failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for non-sporting manifestations, and for bringing football into disrepute."

UEFA also ordered the Albanian soccer association to pay fines of 47,250 euros ($50,500) for instances during the game in which its fans screamed an anti-Serb slogan, purportedly "Kill the Serbs."

Mirlind Daku will also sit out the round of 16 games

The Serbian soccer federation threatened to boycott the tournament if UEFA did not sanction the acts. On the pitch, Albania faces Spain in a crucial group-stage match on Monday. If Albania progresses, Daku will also sit out the round of 16 games. Daku later apologized for his conduct in a social media post, and UEFA sent an in-house investigator to look into his "alleged inappropriate behavior."

The 26-year-old attacker began playing for Albania last year after using FIFA procedures to shift his eligibility from Kosovo, Serbia's ethnically Albanian former territory that proclaimed independence 16 years ago.

In addition, UEFA on Wednesday levied allegations against the federations of Albania and Croatia for "possible racist and/or discriminatory conduct" by their supporters.

After losing 2-1 to Italy in the opening match at Euro 2024, Albania showed promise in a 2-2 draw with Croatia. Threats from Serbia to withdraw from Euro 2024 stemmed from fan chants between Croatian and Albanian supporters. A few hours later, the Serbian squad faced Denmark, and they drew 1-1.