Swiss footballers fined by FIFA for Albanian double-eagle gesture
Swiss footballers Granit Xhaka, left, and Xherdan Shaqiri do the Albanian double eagle against Serbia at the 2018 World Cup
Keystone
Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Stephan Lichtsteiner will not be banned for making hand gestures of an Albanian national symbol to celebrate World Cup goals against Serbia.
FIFA on Monday fined Shaqiri and Xhaka CHF10,000 ($10,130) each and Switzerland’s captain Lichtsteiner CHF5,000 for “unsporting behaviour contrary to the principles of fair-play”.
The FIFA disciplinary panel had the power to impose two-match bans if the actions of the players in Friday’s 2-1 victory over Serbia in Kaliningrad were judged to have provoked the general public.
All three players also received a warning, but were cleared to play in Switzerland’s next match, against Costa Rica on Wednesday.
Xhaka and Shaqiri, who two years ago was reportedly earningExternal link CHF85,000 a week at Stoke City, are ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and had made a double-eagle gesture, symbolising the Albanian flag, after scoring.
On Sunday, Peter Gilliéron, director of the Swiss Football Association, said in an interview with Swiss public television, SRF, that it was a shame that the political controversy and the investigation was currently detracting from what should be the focus of the World Cup: the sport itself.
The players’ gesture refers to tensions persisting in the region since the 1990s Balkans conflict.
The incident prompted parts of the Swiss press to revive old debates and questions about how much Switzerland really is in the Swiss national team.
More
More
Swiss football scandals through the years
This content was published on
The current “double eagle” controversy is not the first time the Swiss have had their wrists slapped by the football authorities.
Sports Minister Guy Parmelin and Foreign Affairs Minister Ignazio Cassis had defended the players in an interview with the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.
“If you attended the game and experienced the charged atmosphere, you really appreciate the achievement of the Swiss national team and can understand that emotions can run riot with a player,” said Parmelin, who was present in the stadium for the Swiss 2-1 victory.
Also on Monday, the Serbian FA was fined CHF54,000 and warned for a “display of discriminatory banners and messages” by fans, while its president Slavisa Kokeza and national team coach Mladen Krstajic were fined CHF5,000 each and warned for comments they made after the game.
More
More
Why do ethnic Albanians do the double-headed eagle?
This content was published on
Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Sometimes it’s hard for Tama and her friends of different ethnic origins to stay true to family traditions. She asks Arjeta what being an ethnic Albanian means to her. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
Norwegian zombie film wins main prize at Swiss festival NIFFF
This content was published on
More than 55,000 people celebrated the fantastic film at the International Fantastic Film Festival in Neuchâtel (NIFFF) - fewer than last year.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Kosovars set to receive Swiss pensions again
This content was published on
Switzerland and Kosovo have agreed to resume the payment of old age and disability pensions suspended eight years ago amid cases of fraud.
This content was published on
There are around 270,000 Albanian speakers currently living in Switzerland, of whom 100,000 are under 16. The diverse populations from Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and Serbia and Montenegro form the second-largest foreign community after the Italians. “Things are definitely happening at the moment,” said Bashkim Iseni, a 39-year-old political scientist from Lausanne University. Iseni is head…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.