Swiss media have expressed significant discontent over the events that unfolded during yesterday’s match against Serbia. The portal "Blick" has launched a direct attack on Serbia, stating that local fans have caused a scandal with flags and nationalist chants.
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| During the Serbia-Switzerland match, where the referee punishes a Serbian player, Granit Xhaka can be seen opening his arms |
"Serbian fans created a scandal in the national team match," reads the headline from Blick, which further elaborates in the article: "The start of the match was marked by nationalist chants. Several times in the first ten minutes, fans shouted ‘Kosovo is Serbia.’ This was not the only problematic issue. Before the match, a flag depicting the map of Kosovo in Serbian colors was displayed. This occurred despite the fact that only flags of Serbia and Switzerland are allowed in the stadium. The flag was removed for a while. However, when the match began, the nationalist banner reappeared."
The Serbian team has already faced penalties twice for displaying this flag. Following their loss to Brazil in the World Cup, the flag was seen in Serbia’s dressing room, leading FIFA to fine them 20,000 Swiss francs. This summer, the flag appeared among fans in Germany, resulting in UEFA fining the Serbian Football Federation 10,000 euros.
Swiss fans and media are now calling for UEFA to take more stringent action against these recurring incidents, emphasizing the need for a decisive response to prevent such nationalist displays in future matches.