Eagle celebration paints bad picture
Kaliningrad, June 22: Swiss coach Vladimir Petkovic said politics and football should “never mix” after two of his players celebrated goals in a 2-1 victory over Serbia with political gestures.
Both goalscorers Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka have roots in Kosovo, a former province of Serbia that has declared independence, a fact that stoked tensions before and during Friday’s clash.
Both players pointedly celebrated scoring by making a double eagle gesture with their hands to represent the Albanian flag, viewed as a symbol of defiance.
Coach Petkovic was unimpressed. “You should never mix politics and football, it’s good to be a fan and important to show respect,” he told reporters after the game.
“It’s clear that emotions surface. I think on and off the pitch we need to steer away from politics in football and we should focus on this as a sport that brings people together,” he added.
“In football you have always emotions and you can see what I did and it’s just emotion,” Shaqiri said in reference to his controversial celebration.
Serbian papers too slammed what they labelled “shameful provocation” by two Switzerland players of Kosovo origin.
The Blic said: Xhaka “shamefully provoked our fans. After making a ‘double eagle’ gesture clearly alluding to his (ethnic) Albanian origins, he was running on the pitch trying to attract the attention of the cameras.”
Papers also noted that Shaqiri wore boots carrying flags of both Switzerland and Kosovo.
— AFP