The FRF could no longer bear the injustice and gave up, after Romania

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) reacted with a press release, after the Romania – Kosovo match, and requests the emergency intervention of those from UEFA. The FRF believes the actions of the players and officials were premeditated.

Those from FRF recalled the incident that happened during last year’s match, in which practically Kosovo acted the same way.

They also pointed out that the slogan “Kosovo is Serbia” was not heard during the match. The reaction comes in the context where Kosovo national team decided to leave the field before the end of the game.

Communiqué issued by the FRF, after Romania – Kosovo

They went to the locker room without the referee’s permission. Thus, FRF issued a press release, in which they specified that during the match there were no racist chants and not even once was the slogan “Kosovo is Serbia” heard.

“The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) expresses its deep disappointment with the behavior of the Kosovo delegation and the opposing players during Friday night’s Nations League match.
We believe that the accusations coming from the visiting team are baseless and we strongly believe that their actions were premeditated. The FRF thanks the nearly 50,000 Romanian fans present at the stadium for maintaining a civilized attitude and for refraining, as much as possible, from reacting to the challenges of the Kosovar players.

It is important to emphasize that during the match there were no racist chants and not even once was the slogan “Kosovo is Serbia” heard. Furthermore, we would like to remind everyone of the decision made by the UEFA Disciplinary Committee regarding a similar incident during last year’s match where Kosovo acted in the same manner. The decision made it clear that the slogan “Kosovo is Serbia” cannot be classified as racist and therefore cannot trigger the three-step procedure. This aspect was also reiterated by the UEFA delegate in the technical meeting prior to the match last night, which proves that the Kosovar officials knew what the consequences were when their players went to the dressing room.

It is unfortunate that a football team chooses to leave the field and retreat to the dressing room just two minutes before the final whistle, seeing that there is no time left to achieve a favorable result. This action shows a lack of respect for the sport and a total disregard for fair play.

Regarding the alleged incident at the post-match press conference brought up by the Kosovo federation, we categorically deny its existence. No FRF official was involved and, in fact, it was the delegation from Kosovo that initiated a confrontation with the Romanian journalists at the end of the statements made by the guests. This can be confirmed by all media representatives present in the area.

FRF strongly believes that football promotes values ​​that positively influence society and has the power to set examples for future generations. Unfortunately, the behavior of the Kosovar delegation, and especially of its players, in Bucharest, serves as an example of “how not to act” in professional sports.

We await UEFA’s decision in this regard. However, given Kosovo’s refusal to finish the match on the field and the players’ departure to the locker room without the referee’s consent, there can only be one result, the one aligned with the principles of the game,” reads the press release issued by FRF.