Albania player Mirlind Daku banned by UEFA for two Euro 2024 games after nationalist chants

Albanian player Mirlind Daku banned for nationalist chants at Euro 2024, sparking Balkan political tensions and UEFA disciplinary actions.

Albania player Mirlind Daku was banned on Sunday for two games after leading fans in nationalist chants at the European Championship, that UEFA said brought soccer into disrepute.

Daku took a megaphone after Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia on Wednesday in Hamburg and joined in chanting slogans against Serbia and North Macedonia.

The incidents and fallout from the game in Hamburg have been the most serious involving Balkan politics at a Euros with the most-ever teams from the region playing — and offering a stage for some fans to air its issues.

UEFA said its disciplinary judges found Daku guilty of “failing to comply with the general principles of conduct, for violating the basic rules of decent conduct, for using sports events for manifestations of a non-sporting nature and for bringing the sport of football into disrepute.”

UEFA also ordered the Albanian soccer federation to pay fines totaling 47,250 euros ($50,500) for incidents at the game where its fans chanted an anti-Serb slogan, reportedly “Kill the Serbs.”

The Serbian soccer federation said it would quit the tournament if UEFA did not punish the incidents.

On the field, Albania plays a decisive group-stage game on Monday against Spain. If Albania advances, Daku also would sit out the round of 16 game.