The display of unity between Albanian and Croatian fans in Hamburg, both before and during the Croatia-Albania match, has not been well received in Belgrade. The Secretary General of the Serbian Football Association, Jovan Surbatović, condemned the behavior of the Albanian and Croatian supporters in the stands of the Volksparkstadion, claiming they engaged in racist chants against Serbs.
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| A Croatian fan and another Albanian fan next to each other happily demonstrating their respective symbols before the match Albania vs Croatia |
Surbatović has demanded that UEFA penalize both national teams for the fans' chants. According to him, if UEFA fails to take strict action, Serbia will withdraw from the European Championship.
"In Serbia, we are gentlemen, let their fans cheer for their players. We want them to be punished just as the journalist’s accreditation was revoked. We will seek the harshest, draconian punishment. If UEFA does not drastically penalize those who chanted, we do not want to participate in this competition," he told RTS, local media say.
Surbatović's "threat" comes just hours before Serbia is set to take the field at the Allianz Arena against Slovenia for their second match in Group C.