FIFA announces Serbia punishment
World football governing body FIFA has announced disciplinary measures against the Serbian FA for incidents during the World Cup match against Switzerland in Qatar last month.
The two nations met in Group G of the tournament, with Switzerland earning a 3-2 win to secure their place in the knockout stages. The game saw tensions flare, with Swiss captain Granit Xhaka – who is of Albanian heritage – accused of taunting the opposition as players clashed towards the end of the game.
FIFA announced on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on Serbia for the “misconduct” of its players and fans during the game at Stadium 974. The Serbian FA has been fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($54,000) and must close 25% of stadium seats for its next official FIFA home match for the men’s team.
FIFA had already fined the Serbian FA 21,000 Swiss francs during the World Cup for an alleged “political” gesture after a flag was displayed in the team’s locker room which depicted an outline of Kosovo with the colors of the Serbian flag along with the message “no surrender.”
Elsewhere in FIFA’s statement on Friday, the organization announced the start of disciplinary proceedings against World Cup winners Argentina for their celebrations following victory against France in the final.
Mexico and Ecuador were also subject to fines and stadium closures for discriminatory chants by their fans in Qatar. Croatia had disciplinary proceedings opened for potential breaches of FIFA articles on discrimination and order and security, resulting from their match against Morocco in the third-place playoff.
