(ANSA) - BELGRADE, MAY 7 - The Football Federation of Kosovo has
blocked Red Star Belgrade from playing a humanitarian match in
Gracanica, a Serbian enclave not far from Pristina, the capital
city. The president of the Federation of Football Federation
Fadilj Vokri said, cited by the media in Belgrade, that the ban
was imposed to prevent the football meeting from becoming an
opportunity to spread anti-Kosovar political and racist
propaganda on the Serbian side.
''We have previously allowed such matches, but we did not this
time, since on the last occasion some things were recorded that
have nothing to do with sport'', Vokri said, adding that he
informed UEFA about the ban. Among other things, he underlined,
in the latest match the nationalist slogan ''Kosovo is the heart
of Serbia'' was repeated numerous times, and football fans sang
the national anthem of Serbia. The Red Star match with the local
Gracanica team was scheduled for May 9th, in order to support a
pediatric clinic. Serbia does not recognise the independence
proclaimed ten years ago by Kosovo, which Belgrade continues to
consider its own southern province with an Albanian ethnic
majority. (ANSA).
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