Why reacting to Serbia vs. Albania game is a European act Several friends asked me to explain myself a little bit further on the “why” the after-match analysis (and not only…) went so wrong. They are aware of my passion and previous associative engagement on the Balkan issue. They are also aware of my straight talk. The lack of humility and extreme proudness of the Serbian governmental officials, is in my opinion the sole reason why the Serbia vs. Albania after-match went viral, and is escalating towards a diplomatic incident of the highest importance. Not stepping back from this incident is a good thing for the Serbian and Albanian citizens, and I consider it as a European act based on the same values that should inspire us to join the EU. Serbia should not follow a Putin style nationalistic leadership. Certainly more bluntly, Jacques Chirac, the former French President, would have said that the Serbian President and Prime Minister, are “not well educated and that they missed a good opportunity to shut up”…“Their reaction is childish, and dangerous”… For the whole past week I have tried not to engage into a direct debate and stick on the facts. But also because in such a heated situation the positive restraint of speech is a must. As a remainder: the direct entourage of a NATO country Prime Minister was accused of a governmental plot by an EU candidate country Prime Minister, this is serious! I recognize that a flag carrying a greater Albania map is a provocation for the Serbian community. I fully agree that football shall not be a field for political reclamations of any type. I also believe that the Albanian officials share this opinion as they have officially, I stress the word officially, accepted not to send any Albanian fan (therefore no Albanian flags) to Serbia. Only 40 persons travelled from Tirana that day, 40 against 30.000. The isolated act of an Albanian fan shall not destabilize 15 years of efforts in building a viable and peaceful relationship between our two nations. In addition, no Albanian public officials have defended the content of that flag. In today’s diplomatic context, Albania has continuously expressed its full recognition of the Serbian integrity and has no reclamations of any type towards the Serbian territory. Both nations are EU candidate countries, and considering the next week’s first visit of an Albanian Prime Minister to Belgrade since 1946, Albania’s official position on that flags interpretation is unambiguous. Based on a logic of reciprocity, the Albanian community, and fans staying home, were expecting the same restrain from the Serbian officials and fans. I won’t go into details recalling what happened from the moment that plan landed in Belgrade. In my opinion, there is one sole element that triggered everything. I am sorry for being provocative but allow me to interchange the situation and presume that a stadium filled with 30.000 German hooligans and German flags, while the German President is there, yells during an Israel-Germany game, for 45 minutes “Jews, jews, you shall die”. This sounds horrific and unacceptable, 70 years after. Why than “Albanians, Albanians, you shall die” shall be more acceptable? Now let’s imagine what a European leader, with a similar war legacy, should have done in that situation? What words he would have used to address his citizens? He would have firmly condemned, with the boldest words, such hate expression. He would have called his compatriots to calm, restrain and to look forward a joint peaceful future. He would also have called to the neighboring country to diplomatically withdrawn itself from any territorial claim connected to that flag. Instead, what did the two highest Serbian state officials, the President and Prime Minister, was, as Chirac said, childish and dangerous… They accused the direct entourage of the Albanian Prime Minister - just few days before a historic visit of an Albanian delegation to Serbia - that they were looking to destabilize the country. They continued on with provocative declarations stating that Albania needs centuries before becoming a normal state. Their ambiguous statements on the Serbian hooliganism during the match, reflect their uneasiness and rift between the internal electoral objective of “proudness” and the external expectations for “humility”. The Serbian officials clearly chose the first. They didn’t focus on officially and heavily condemning the words “Death to Albanians”. Nor to identify or prosecute the hooligans’ that entered in the field and aggressed the Albanian national football team. They neither made any effort to understand the human reaction of an Albanian Kosovar player that tries to catch a flag – which message is provocative - caused directly by an extremely hostile environment calling for his death. Is it wrong to presume that among those hooligans, a few could have been former Serbian militias having participated in the Srebrenica siege or the Kosovo ethnic cleansing? Is it possible that the Albanian Kosovar player made himself a similar question? I believe that the Albanian people, and the international community, were expecting more humility from the Serbian leadership in the management of this serious sport incident considering the recent Balkans wars. Again, the seriousness is not related solely to the flag but to whole atmosphere and violence against a national football team. Considering these events, the military welcome made to President Putin the next day is a very worrying message to the whole region. If Serbia is choosing to follow a Putin style leadership, nationalism and sense of proudness, I can’t stop calling to my Serbian friends to believe in the European integration and give dialogue a chance. Serbia should firmly condemn, and not share Putin’s vision, on how to deal with neighboring countries. If Albanian Prime Minister’s visit is cancelled, then the international community shall not justify itself with a miniature drone, but with the tsunami effect of a radical change in the Serbian foreign policy strategy.
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 09:36:18 +0000
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