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By:
Arsim Magjera
- November 13, 2024 13:54
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Many messages have been given in recent days by football players and the coach of Romania, as well as football personalities from this country. Everyone's order is that the match between Romania and Kosovo takes place without incidents in the stands. Romania and Kosovo meet on Friday from 20:45 at "Arena Nationala" in Bucharest. The match decides for the first place in the group, in League B of the League of Nations.
The three past matches between Kosovo and Romania, two of them in Pristina and one in Bucharest, have been accompanied by incidents. Last year in Bucharest, the match was interrupted for 50 minutes, after the Romanian fans displayed the banner "Kosovo is Serbia" and made calls of this nature. The Kosovo players reacted and the match was interrupted until the provocative banner was removed. UEFA then severely punished the Romanian Federation, while also fined the Kosovo Federation due to numerous incidents in the September match at "Fadil Vokrri", which Romania won 3:0. Among other things, in that match the Romanian anthem was whistled, while there was unacceptable behavior towards the Romanian players.
Romania's main goal is to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The regular qualifiers start in March next year. If on Friday there are incidents of a more serious nature, namely banners or chants "Kosovo is Serbia", then Romania risks being severely punished for the World Cup qualifying matches. The development of qualifying matches without the presence of spectators or with a partially closed stadium is considered to affect Romania's chances of qualifying for the World Cup. The financial aspect is also involved and consequently the Romanian footballers are not stopping the calls for the match to pass without incident.
Romania's goalkeeper, 37-year-old Florin Nita, spoke to the media on Wednesday. He said that they aim for two victories, on Friday against Kosovo and on Monday against Cyprus.
"I really want the fans to be balanced, like we are, to show character and not show banners or make calls against them, because that's what they expect. We must be very wise and win the game on the field, not in the stands", said Nita, writes the official website of the Romanian Federation.
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Romania is expected to be punished again, this time by FIFA
Captain Nicolae Stanciu gave the same message earlier.
"Before the match with Kosovo, I want to speak to you from the heart, as a player who knows how important your support is. We are at a decisive moment for Romania, a moment in which each of us can contribute to the common goal - qualifying for the World Cup. On the field we will give our best, but we need you to be just as focused and responsible in the stands. Let's be wise, don't let incidents or actions overshadow our work and yours. "Football brings us together and together we can be successful," said Stanciu.
Some fan groups that support Romania have extreme anti-Kosovo attitudes. They express this not only during Romania's matches with Kosovo, but also in their other activities. Fan groups in Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic and Russia often unfurl the flag of Serbia over the map of Kosovo. This provocative flag is unacceptable to UEFA.
From the Kosovo fan group, "Dardans", for the Romanian newspaper GSP, they said that they will be in Bucharest on Friday.
"Yes, we will be there. Not many, but our members will be there for Kosovo", the Romanian newspaper quotes the Kosovo fan group.
The well-known figure of Romanian football, Ilie Dumitrescu, has proposed that Romanian fans should applaud the Kosovo anthem.
"This will be a response to what they did", said Dumitrescu.
Romania has won the first four games in the group and leads with 12 points. Kosovo has nine points. Consequently, the first place in the group is placed in Bucharest. Kosovo needs a deeper victory than 3:0 to overtake Romania in the ranking. In the last matches, Kosovo - Lithuania and Romania - Cyprus, no surprises are expected.
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Romania, however, will play its next match behind closed doors.
Romania does not recognize the state of Kosovo and when the draw for the first time placed the two representatives in one group, there were also calls in Romania to boycott the matches. This was actually not even an option, due to the huge damage that would have caused the Romanian Federation and Romanian football in general. Some groups of fans in Romania have announced that they will boycott the match with Kosovo, due to their political views.
In Kosovo, they have not paid much attention to possible developments in the stands. However, an immediate reaction is expected if any banner with unacceptable content is seen in the stands.
