Kosovo collects money for fined Swiss players

PRISTINA: Kosovo was collecting money Tuesday to pay FIFA fines of Switzerland players Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Stephan Lichtsteiner for celebrating goals with a pro-Kosovo double eagle gesture in their World Cup win over Serbia.

Arsenal midfielder Xhaka and Stoke City’s Shaqiri trace their roots to Kosovo, a former Serbia’s province with ethnic Albanian majority where thousands were killed during a 1998-1999 conflict between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian guerillas. The double eagle symbol represents the Albanian flag and is viewed as a symbol of defiance in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 in a move that Serbia still refuses to recognise. The players’ celebrations in the 2-1 win over Serbia in Kaliningrad on Friday caused outrage in Serbia. FIFA, whose rules prohibit political symbols in stadiums, fined Xhaka and Shaqiri each 10,000 Swiss francs (8,700 euros, $10,000) and Lichtsteiner 5,000 Swiss francs. Nearly 12,000 euros were gathered less than 24 hours after on online fund — www.gofundme.com/Xhaka-Shaqiri-and-Lichtsteiner — was launched.