I'm happy to use one of my three posts for the day to say that this is an excellent post.
FIFA charge Shaqiri and Xhaka for goal celebrations
- Thread starter K2K
- Start date
They were racially abused prior to and during the match.
FIFA had to charge them if only to be consistent. Don't think that a lot more than a fine will come of it, but time will tell.
Exactly. Let's keep politics outside football. Football is already damaged enough so it doesn't need more crap.
Xhaka's father was jailed during the former communist regime, tbh.
You have no idea what you're talking about, as most of the people in this thread.
So who's next in line, Germans, Italians, Japan?
By these standards, Serbia would have to be banned as well.
Imagine our fans booing Israels national anthem or whistling whenever a jewish player has the ball?
While the fusion of politics and football varies in strength from one country/region to the next, the non-stop back and forth in the Balkans is a bit tiresome. It's not exactly a romantic form of nationalism.
So will FIFA be punishing players who wear the poppy from now on as well?
Fifa deciding to take action sure makes the opinion of the people who where calling for the players to be punished yesterday seem less ridiculous. Since that's exactly what's happening.
You seem to be rather conflicted. You've no idea what happened, you don't care but you support the decision of an organisation that makes political decisions all the time.
I suggest you start caring. Sport is rooted in politics, going back to the Ancient Greeks.
Sportsmen and and women are human and simply telling them such things as; 'leave your ethnicity out of it' is crass. I give you examples such as England wanting to beat Germany;rooted in historical significance, Argentina beating England in 86( Falklands War) Iran beating the USA. Cricket; the West Indies/India/Pakistan wanting to beat England has it basis in the colonial legacy of Britain. Angola and Mozambique playing Portugal will have a similar context to Serbia playing Switzerland. Many Eastern European countries desperate to beat Russia at everything because of their invasions.There are many other examples.
I'd love the world of sport to resemble the United Colours of Beneton and everyone singing Kumbaya round a giant campfire at the end of every contest but it isn't going to happen. It's naive to believe it will and if you're looking for an altruistic world then sport isn't where you're going to find it.
While you're absolutely right, football is often said to be the one sport where you can be united regardless of race, religion, etc [insert sentimental violin music here]. The players of Iran and USA didn't end any conflict in '98, but they sure as hell didn't fuel the flames either.
Not surprised Xhaka, the midfielder with no brain, decided to do this.
It's obviously provocative since it was done in a goal celebration against Serbia. If it was all about how his family was affected he would have had it as his default celebration or something along those lines instead of doing it as a statement.
It's obviously provocative since it was done in a goal celebration against Serbia. If it was all about how his family was affected he would have had it as his default celebration or something along those lines instead of doing it as a statement.
People saying that genocide happened in Kosovo..now that's western pc gone mad. And Xhaka's dad blablablabla. You do know that people were killed by both sides right? And you do know that Srebenica is in Bosnia not in Kosovo? Maybe you should check more what UCK is for example. So every time Greece (or Former Yugoslavian States or Russia or Israel or Poland) play against Germany should they celebrate by taking out a their respective flags? Or do you want Matic every time he plays and scores against an english team to start doing something provocative against England because 20 years ago UK bombed Serbia?
I am not saying keep politics out of football; I would love if all the players in the world cup would score and then celebrate with a message against the syrian war. But I would never support something provocative which implies terror, war and ultra-nationalism (Greater Albania anyone?). If Shaqiri loves Kosovo that much (and has every fecking right to do it) should wonder why Kosovo is a failed state instead of trying to provoke another state.
I am not saying keep politics out of football; I would love if all the players in the world cup would score and then celebrate with a message against the syrian war. But I would never support something provocative which implies terror, war and ultra-nationalism (Greater Albania anyone?). If Shaqiri loves Kosovo that much (and has every fecking right to do it) should wonder why Kosovo is a failed state instead of trying to provoke another state.
Players don't get to bring their own kit so probably not.
If England score a winning goal againt Germany and RLC rushes to the oppo fans and makes a poppy gesture then he'd get rightly punished.
No, I never said that they did but it was another example of the politics of that generation juxtapositioned within sport.
There was a good piece at the time with Nick Hancock the writer,actor and comedian who is a passionate Stoke and England fan but married to an Iranian, talking about what the match meant to him from that point of view as well as the Iranian people. It goes beyond the immediacy of the conflict. That's why people are naive to think that Albanians around the world will have revelled in that Serbia defeat.
Both of them actually had the chance to go and play for Kosovo when their national team was formed but declined because they were afraid they would not have made it to major tournaments with them.
I doubt if Reuben LC has any idea of the significance of the poppy.
And there's nothing wrong with that. There's enough examples of Poles doing the same
You are really pushing Loftus-Cheek. Also why is your location Chelsea fan?
I've got no idea. That's not really the point though, is it.
Good, ban them hard, also ban the incompetent ref while you are at it.
Go fecking play for Albania if you like it so much you cnuts.
Go fecking play for Albania if you like it so much you cnuts.
No, but choosing one of the least cerebral of England players tends to devalue the point. Lampard, definitely
Ooh! Defeat, Hurts doesn't it
Wonder what the Argentinians were saying about the Croats?
Not true. Already explained that, but Fifa didn't give that chance to them.
As much as it sucks for Kosovo, it also was the right thing to do. Both players would have had to make a difficult decision.
Everyknows what a poppy is, you don't need a high IQ! What makes you say he's one of the least cerebral of the England players?
What was the reason behind this? I remember Valon Berisha switching after about 20 caps for Norway.
IQ is a different parameter. General knowledge isn't linked to IQ.
He comes across as thick. Good footballer though
Who?
Don’t know anyone in my generation. It’s already been explained that Xhaka and Shapiro couldn’t have done that but just curious why it’s perceived that Polish players declined to play for the country.
Ah ok didn’t realize that.
Thick? As opposed to all the other brain surgeons in the England team? Lampard retired years ago so he does not count!
I think being thick would be a pre-requisite to making a political gesture directly to a load of rowdy idiot fans.
No, it's based on passion. That often overrules logic. As for rowdy idiot fans... I'm not sure Swiss fans celebrating an unlikely win classifies them as a) rowdy or b)idiots. Having relatives and friends in Switzerland, I think they're more likely to riot if they don't win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in skiing!
No, in an interview he said that he had talked to one of the fathers of the albanian players and that he realised that how important this match was for those guys in particular. I still think it's a bit BS that they are getting punished, because Xhaka has celebrated with the eagle even when he was playing for Arsenal.
They deserve it if they get a ban. They knew the roles. It is this football great, the only thing on this planet that bring people from around the world, Russia, England, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc, and interact in peace respecting one law. This is why we love football, because it brings people together. There should be no place for politics in football.
Players who played in Euros were not allowed to swap teams. Probably because otherwise Switzerland and Albania would have been gutted, and while Xhaka and Shaqiri were willing to switch, it would have been such a difficult thing to do considering how much they owe to Switzerland.
So better that the decision was taken from them. The next generation of players (some of them) would choose Kosovo anyway, so not worried about it, we will have a good team soon enough. Until then, we support Switzerland.
Cheers. Probably a sensible decision, that.
They also sang genocidal chants about Srebrenica in the lead up and during the game.I really think it isn't, at least for me. I didn't exactly like the provocation aspect of the celebration but I can totally understand that they got carried away in the heat of the moment. You have to know that the Serbian Media attacked both Shaqiri and Xhaka in the days before the game. They probably should have kept their cool a bit better, but in the end they're just human, aren't they?
Also the Serbian Fans booed and whistled during our national hymn, so they really can do one
If Shaqiri and Xhaka are to be charged, then so should the Serbian FA for failing to control the behaviour of their fans.
The serbian media pushed the story before the game, the fans were singing "death to the albanians" during the match. They were also singing about Srebenica and hailed Mladic with t-shirts.
I would celebrate the same way even if I wouldn't be a swiss with albanian origin like Lichtsteiner in front of these cu*nts.
I would celebrate the same way even if I wouldn't be a swiss with albanian origin like Lichtsteiner in front of these cu*nts.
It's not really "defeat" though is it, if Ref fecks you over, on the other hand it is, defeat by FIFA.Ooh! Defeat, Hurts doesn't it
Wonder what the Argentinians were saying about the Croats?
That's the point, isn't it? You have political conflicts that motivate you to win the game — not to celebrate in an provocative way. It would've been a beautiful story — Xhaka and Shaqiri answering Serbia on the pitch, but they decided to celebrate in an offensive way.
I'm not dismissing Serbians though — what they did during the anthem and the general booing was equally unsporting.