UEFA Nations League clash ends in chaos as team walk off in protest with match abandoned

Kosovo headed to Romania for a Nations League clash connected Friday nighttime but the visitors walked disconnected successful the last minutes arsenic vexation peaked pursuing chants from the crowd

The Nations League clash betwixt Kosovo and Romania was abandoned connected Friday night

There were reports of violative chanting with the Kosovo squad walking disconnected successful the 93rd minutes of their lucifer with the Romanian fans reportedly chanted astir Serbia - who garbage to recognise Kosovo's independence. UEFA did not explicate wherefore the crippled was chopped abbreviated but Kosovo players were reportedly upset astatine proceeding the pro-Serbian slogans.

The lucifer was yet abandoned an hr aft it was stopped with the people astatine 0-0 with the Romanian players remaining connected the transportation successful sub zero temperatures. Kosovo's players ordered pizza into their dressing country aft walking disconnected with riot constabulary dividing them from the stands arsenic they walked off.

Their manager Franco Foda said: "Unfortunately, astatine the extremity of the match, respect was lost. And that's wherefore we decided to permission the field. Then we talked to the players and everyone else. But the occupation is that the concern successful the stadium didn't alteration past we each decided not to spell backmost to the tract and not to proceed the match.

I'm atrocious for that, arsenic the squad played a large crippled tonight. But everyone should respect the information that we are Kosovo successful the aboriginal to instrumentality due steps truthful that what happened contiguous does not hap again."

Kosovo's stars opted to support up their protestation erstwhile they were deed with a clip ultimatum. They were told to re-emerge wrong 5 minutes oregon the crippled would beryllium called off.

This is the 2nd clip a gathering betwixt Kosovo and Romania has been progressive successful controversy. A Euro 2024 qualifier successful September 2023 was suspended aft Romania fans had chanted 'Kosovo is Serbia'. On that juncture Kosovo's stars did yet re-emerge, lone to suffer 2-0, but this clip they weren't consenting to play ball.

Kosovo skipper Amir Rrahmani said: "There were changeless calls 'Serbia, Kosovo'. This happened for 90 minutes. In the other minutes, the calls started with different words that I don't privation to repetition due to the fact that it's a shame.

"I told the ref for the archetypal clip to perceive to them. He did nothing. The 2nd clip helium didn't privation to listen. After the 3rd clip I told him we are going retired due to the fact that this is truthful wrong.

"They person been alert due to the fact that our Federation has made it wide to them to effort to debar this. The fans started adjacent much aft that with chants of 'Kosova, Serbia'. That's wherefore we decided not to spell retired again arsenic happened past year. UEFA indispensable determine due to the fact that we are footballers, we are present to correspond our people, our country, which has a hard past."

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