UEFA open disciplinary case after Nations League chaos as team walk off in protest
The UEFA Nations League clash between Romania and Kosovo was brought to an early end after players from the visiting team left the field during the final few minutes
by Tom Victor · The MirrorUEFA have confirmed a disciplinary process has been opened following the Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo.
The Friday night meeting was cut short, with Kosovo players leaving the field early amid reports of offensive chanting. It was the second time a meeting between the teams was suspended, with Romanian fans reportedly chanting 'Kosovo is Serbia' during a 2023 match.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, with more than 100 countries recognising Kosovo as an independent state. However, Romania are among the countries not to do so. Kosovo were kept apart from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the draw for Euro 2024 qualifying, but ended up in the same group as Romania both then and in the current edition of the Nations League.
"Disciplinary proceedings have been instigated against the Romanian Football Federation and the Football Federation of Kosovo in accordance with Article 55 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) following the UEFA Nations League match between Romania and Kosovo played on 15 November 2024 in Bucharest, Romania," a UEFA statement read. "Further information about these proceedings will be made available in due course."
Kosovo manager Franco Foda addressed the walk-out in the aftermath of the abandoned match. "Unfortunately, at the end of the match, respect was lost. And that's why we decided to leave the field," he said.
"Then we talked to the players and everyone else. But the problem is that the situation in the stadium didn't change then we all decided not to go back to the field and not to continue the match.
"I'm sorry for that, as the team played a great game tonight. But everyone should respect the fact that we are Kosovo in the future to take appropriate steps so that what happened tonight does not happen again."
The Romanian Football Federation put out a statement of its own after the match. "The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) expresses its deepest disappointment regarding the behavior of the Kosovo delegation and its players during the recent Nations League match," it began. "We consider the accusations made by the Kosovo side to be unfounded and firmly believe that their actions were premeditated."
Romania and Kosovo are both in League C in the UEFA Nations League, with the former suffering relegation in the 2022-23 edition. The September meeting in Prishtina went the way of the Romanians, who knew a home victory would confirm them as group winners.
Romania's final group game is at home to Cyprus on Monday, while Kosovo finish up at home to Lithuania. The group winners will earn automatic promotion to League B, with the runners-up entering a promotion-relegation play-off against one of the third-placed teams in League C.
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