Swiss, some with Kosovar roots, are playing against Serbia at the World Cup. Where politics supposedly has no place, it becomes really big. Because Granit Xhaka cheers with a provocative jersey. His teammate Xherdan Shaqiri doesn’t understand the excitement.
The Swiss national soccer player Xherdan Shaqiri doesn’t see the gestures of his teammate Granit Xhaka in the World Cup match against Serbia (3:2) as targeted provocations. “You always make it so big. He knows himself what he did there. You have to ask those involved yourself,” said the 31-year-old at a media event in the Swiss quarter in Doha two days before the round of 16 duel between the Swiss Portugal on Tuesday (8 p.m. in the ntv.de live ticker).
Xhaka clashed with the Serbian bench in the second half of Friday’s group game and grabbed his crotch. “I didn’t see what he did. I just saw some pictures,” Shaqiri said. “I don’t think Granit wanted to send an extra shout out to anyone.”
After the game, Xhaka had put on his teammate Ardon Jashari’s jersey – with his name in front. Jashari is also the name of an independence fighter who is considered a co-founder of the Kosovar liberation army UÇK and a symbol of military resistance against the Serbs. His jersey campaign had “definitely no political background”, Xhaka had asserted at the press conference afterwards.
Like Shaqiri, the Swiss captain has Kosovar roots. Kosovo has been an independent republic since 2008, but Serbia still considers it a part of its territory. At the 2018 World Cup duel, Xhaka and Shaqiri provoked the Serbs after their goals by forming the double-headed eagle with their hands – a symbol of the demarcation of Kosovo from Serbia.
After his goal in Friday’s game, Shaqiri put his finger to his lips – a signal to the Serbian fans. “There was a lot of whistling. That was for those who whistled against me,” said the former Bayern Munich professional. With the victory, Switzerland had moved into the round of 16, while Serbia again failed in the preliminary round.