Xhaka and Shaqiri taunt Serbia with Albanian symbol.
Swiss midfielders Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, of Kosovar origin, made a gesture imitating the eagle on the Albanian flag when celebrating their goals in the 2-1 victory over Serbia in Group E of the 2018 World Cup; Xhaka was born in Switzerland but is the son of a Kosovar citizen who spent more than three years in prison for protesting against communist Yugoslavia; Shaqiri is from the Kosovar city of Gjilan and emigrated to the Alpine country as a child.
(ANSA) – Swiss midfielders Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, of Kosovar origin, made a gesture imitating the eagle on the Albanian flag when celebrating their goals in the 2-1 victory over Serbia in Group E of the 2018 World Cup.
Xhaka was born in Switzerland, but is the son of a Kosovar citizen who was imprisoned for more than three years for protesting against communist Yugoslavia. Shaqiri, on the other hand, is from the Kosovar city of Gjilan and emigrated to the Alpine country as a child.
The territory unilaterally declared its independence in February 2008, but Serbia still does not recognize the autonomy of its former province, as is the case with about 90 other countries, including Brazil.
For Serbs, Kosovo is the cradle of their civilization, although the vast majority of its nearly 2 million inhabitants are of Albanian ethnicity. Both Xhaka and Shaqiri could be punished by FIFA, which prohibits political demonstrations on the field. (ANSA)