Albania and Serbia to co-host European U21 Championship after historical tensions
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Albania and Serbia will co-host the European Under-21 Championship in a move that could help ease political tensions between the nations.
On Tuesday, UEFA confirmed the 2027 tournament would be shared between the Balkan neighbors.
Historic tensions had been heightened by the 1990s Balkans conflicts and especially since 2008 when majority ethnic Albanians declared independence in the former Serbian province of Kosovo. Serbia refuses to recognize that independence and considers Kosovo the cradle of its statehood.
Both Albania and Serbia have faced sanctions from European soccer’s governing body because of politically-charged incidents involving fans.
In 2014, a notorious drone incident at a game between the nations ignited clashes between players and fans.
Despite that history, the Serbian and Albanian soccer federations teamed up last year to plan the organization of the 16-team U21s Euros, which is played every two years and needs eight stadiums to host 31 games.
UEFA said the opening match would take place in Serbia and the final would be in Albania.
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