Romania's soccer federation says Kosovo's walk-off actions were premeditated

BUCHAREST (AP) — Romania’s soccer federation expressed its disappointment Saturday at what it called “premeditated” behavior by Kosovo’s team in Friday night’s abandoned match in the Nations League.

The match was suspended in stoppage time and later abandoned with the score 0-0 in Bucharest. There were scuffles between players from both sides and Kosovo players walked off the pitch. UEFA did not explain why the game was cut short but Kosovo players were reportedly upset at hearing pro-Serbian slogans.

“The Romanian Football Federation expresses its deepest disappointment regarding the behavior of the Kosovo delegation and its players,” the federation said in a statement Saturday. “We consider the accusations made by the Kosovo side to be unfounded and firmly believe that their actions were premeditated.”

After historic tensions were heightened by the 1990s Balkans conflicts, in 2008 majority ethnic Albanians in Kosovo declared independence for the former Serbian province. Serbia refuses to recognize that independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood.

The federation denied that there were any offensive chants made by Romania’s fans about Kosovo.

Romania's soccer federation says Kosovo's walk-off actions were premeditated | iNFOnews.ca — Kosovo players leave the pitch during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Romania and Kosovo at the National Arena stadium in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

“It is important to emphasize that there were no racist chants during the match, nor was the slogan ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ chanted even once,” it added. “We find it regrettable that a football team would choose to leave the pitch and retreat to the locker room just two minutes before the final whistle, given that the result was not favorable (for Kosovo).” ___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer