BELGRADE, Serbia
Serbia sent a letter of complaint Tuesday to UEFA alleging that its sports clubs in northern Kosovo are under pressure and threat.
The letter to UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin said Kosovo institutions recently put pressure on the sports teams.
“Pristina institutions prevent Serbian club football players and sports professionals from training in their own stadiums and do not allow tournaments of a local character,” it said.
It was reported that a request was made to UEFA to end pressure on Serbian clubs.
Kosovo Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Ceku, said the facts were distorted in the letter by the Serbian Football Federation.
“In addition to distorting the truth, the federation’s letter also uses derogatory language,” said Ceku.
Kosovo Football Federation was accepted as a full member of UEFA and FIFA in 2016. But sports competitions, especially in the north, where mostly Serbs live, continue to be organized by Serbia.
Serbia and Kosovo periodically face an escalation of tensions and are trying to find a way to normalize relations.
Kosovo, predominantly inhabited by Albanians, broke from Serbia in 1999 and declared independence in 2008. But Serbia has not recognized its independence and sees its former province as a part of its territory.
