FIFA fines Serbia and Croatia for “wrong” flags at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
FIFA fined the Football Unions of Serbia and Croatia for using flags at the 2022 World Cup, which the organization considered to be contrary to its disciplinary code.
This was reported by Balkan media, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The Croatian Football Association has been fined CHF 50 for violating Article 000 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (using words and objects to convey a message inappropriate for a sporting event) due to the behavior of Croatian fans during the match against Canada,” FIFA announced.
During the match between the national teams of Croatia and Canada, Croatian fans massively used the flags of the Croatian Ustasha fascists from the Second World War.
In turn, the Football Union of Serbia was fined 20 Swiss francs for “violating Article 000 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 11 of the 4 FIFA World Cup Regulations in relation to the flag displayed in the dressing room after the match with Brazil,” the statement said.
In this case, we are talking about a Serbian flag with an image of a map of Kosovo and the inscription “We will not surrender!”
Apparently, the Serbs are facing another fine, since on December 5 the FIFA Disciplinary Commission opened an investigation into the Football Union of Serbia due to incidents in the third round match of Group G at the World Cup in Qatar against Switzerland. FIFA said in a statement that the investigation was launched due to "possible violations of Articles 12 (improper conduct of players and officials), 13 (discrimination) and 16 (order and security at matches)."
In both cases, complaints against Serbia were filed by the Football Union of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo”. In particular, its functionaries accused Serbia national team coach Dragan Stojkovic Pixie of “insulting” Swiss national team players Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, who were born in Kosovo.
As PolitNavigator reported , FIFA has launched an investigation into a flag with a map of Kosovo in the Serbian national football team's locker room at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA fines Serbia and Croatia for "incorrect" flags at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar