Could Serbia really QUIT Euro 2024 over 'scandalous' chanting?

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Serbia have only played one game at Euro 2024, but that could be the end of their tournament

Serbia players in discussion after their match against England at Euro 2024
Serbia players in discussion after losing their opening Euro 2024 match to England (Image credit: Alamy)

Serbia could pull out of Euro 2024 over "scandalous" chanting among fans during Wednesday's game between Croatia and Albania.

Chants about the killing of Serbs were heard as Croatia and Albania played out a 2-2 draw in Stuttgart, and the head of the Serbian FA has called on UEFA to take the strongest possible action.

Many Serbs lost their lives during the Croatian War of Independence in the 90s, while hundreds of thousands were exterminated in the Second World War by fascist, Nazi-backed Ustase regime in Croatia.

Albania, meanwhile, has a fraught relationship with Serbia, with the majority ethnically Albanian population of Kosovo accusing Serbia of occupation and repression throughout history. 

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Could Serbia really pull out of Euro 2024?

Jovan Surbatovic, general secretary of the Football Association of Serbia, has not discounted the possibility of his country quitting Euro 2024. He told state-owned broadcaster RTS (via BBC Sport):

"What happened is scandalous and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even if it means not continuing in the competition.

"We will demand from UEFA to punish the federations of both selections [Croatia and Albania.

"We do not want to participate in that, but if UEFA does not punish them, we will think how will we proceed."

The Serbia starting line-up is photographed before their opening Euro 2024 group stage match against England in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

The Serbia starting line-up before their match against England (Image credit: Alamy)

Serbia are due to face Slovenia in their second Group C match on Thursday afternoon.

Dragan Stojkovic's side started their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to England, after which the Serbian FA was fined 14,500 euros (£12,500) after objects were thrown onto the pitch. England players were also allegedly targeted with racist abuse during the match.

Serbia and Albania have also been fined after fans displayed nationalist banners during the countries' respective opening matches.

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Tom Hancock
Tom Hancock

Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...