Bitter Balkan feuds spill into Euros once again

HAMBURG, Germany : An Albanian player leads fans in chants against North Macedonia. Rival supporters unite to chant "Kill the Serbs". A journalist from Kosovo receives death threats for an eagle gesture.

The bitter and often bewildering world of Balkan conflicts - stretching back to the breakup of Yugoslavia, World War Two and centuries beyond - has yet again spilled into the otherwise happy football fest of Euro 2024.

Eager to contain the proliferation of ugly incidents, European soccer's governing body UEFA has imposed a slew of punishments while the football federations of various Balkan nations have appealed for peace and decorum.

"People cannot forget things from the wars. Then when they are at a football match, emotions are higher and can burst into flames in a second," said commentator Igor Mladenovic, 58, who works for Sport Klub broadcaster in Serbia's capital Belgrade.

"I hope that these incidents will end, but at least so far it has only been songs and messages from the tribunes. There has not been fighting between supporters."

Though they did not qualify for the tournament, the small and mainly ethnic Albanian nation of Kosovo stirs most passions as Serbia still does not recognise its independence after one of the bloodiest of the 1990s post-Yugoslavia Balkan wars.

At Serbia's match against England, Kosovar journalist Arlind Sadiku made a double-headed eagle gesture - mimicking the symbol of Albania's flag - to Serbian fans during a live broadcast.

UEFA quickly rescinded his credentials.

"People don't know how I was feeling in that moment because I have trauma from the war," he told Reuters, adding that his act had brought murderous threats on social media.

Albanian forward Mirlind Daku got carried away at the end of