FIFA decided: Albania - Serbia will be played with fans, but with some conditions
2025-09-30 10:26:08
TiranaPost
It is now official, the match between Serbia and Albania, which will take place on October 11 at the “Dubocica” stadium in Leskovac, will be played in front of only 6,500 fans. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has decided to close part of the stadium, following numerous incidents in Serbia’s last match against England.
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee's decision listed the following violations:
• the inability to ensure order and discipline in and around the stadium,
• use of lasers and inappropriate gestures, words and objects,
• interruption during the performance of national anthems,
• discriminatory behavior of individual fans.
The Serbian Football Federation has also been fined financially. The stadium in Leskovac has a capacity of 8,136 seats, but only 80 percent of them will be allowed for this match. In the match against England, which was played in Belgrade in front of 40,000 fans, there were numerous violations: insults to Kosovo and Albanians, whistling of the English anthem, as well as violent incidents by criminal groups close to the current Serbian government.
In that match, where Serbia was defeated 5-0, there was also an insult to coach Dragan Stojkovic. FIFA has warned the Serbian federation of much more severe penalties if incidents are repeated in the match against Albania. For this reason, the small stadium in Leskovac was chosen, instead of a larger stadium in Belgrade, aiming for greater control over ticket sales and avoiding groups that oppose the rule of Aleksandar Vučić.
In accordance with the decision, the Football Association of Serbia is obliged to submit a seating arrangement plan to FIFA no later than ten days before the match, with the possibility of filling part of the capacity with communities and special interest groups (families, students, organizations focused on combating discrimination) with prior approval from FIFA. The plan must also include clear anti-discrimination activities (such as wearing T-shirts or displaying banners with such messages).
