Ceferin on the Serbia-Albania match: “International matches should unite, not divide people”
Express newspaper
11/09/2025 20:29
The Football Federation of Serbia has decided to hold the return match for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Albania on October 11, 2025 at the Red Star Belgrade “Rajko Mitic” stadium in Belgrade, a facility with a capacity of 51,755 seats, also known as the former Marakana.
Ahead of the high-stakes match, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has made a strong appeal for respect and safety. In a statement to the media ahead of the UEFA Executive Committee meeting in Tirana, Čeferin spoke about the match.
“My message is not just about this match, but about football as a whole. Sport should unite people, not divide them. We need to get rid of those who use football for their useless ideologies. These people don’t love football, they only use it to spread messages that serve no one,” he said.
Albania and Serbia faced each other on 7 June 2025 in Tirana, where the match ended 0:0 without serious incidents, although there were anti-Serbian chants and some small objects being thrown into the stands. The organization of the match was highly praised by UEFA, while the Serbian Federation praised the AFF for its management of the situation.
This is not the first time that tensions between the two national teams have surfaced on the pitch. On 14 October 2014, in Belgrade, during a Serbia-Albania Euro 2016 qualifier, Albanian players were physically attacked by hooligans, security personnel and Serbian players after a drone with Albanian motifs flew over the stadium. The match was abandoned, and UEFA, through CAS, subsequently awarded the score 3:0 in favour of Albania.
At the “Rajko Mitic” stadium, Serbia also played the match against England, where there was the presence of English fans, but as expected on October 11, Albanian fans will not be allowed, just as there were no Serbian fans on Air Albania on June 7.
According to Serbian media, including the newspaper “Alo”, there is a possibility that the Serbia – Albania match will be played without spectators, due to provocative chants and flags placed on the map of Kosovo during the Serbia – England match.
In the event of punishment, the Football Federation of Serbia could face harsher measures, including closing the stadium for this match.
The Albanian Football Federation is expected to closely follow developments and ensure that the match takes place in the safest possible conditions for players and fans.
Ceferin also mentioned the importance of avoiding tensions and incidents that may occur due to politics and ideologies, emphasizing that football is a sport that should unite nations, not create clashes. /GazetaExpress/