Dacic condemns incidents in Tirana: Will anyone react to Greater Albania slogans?

Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic condemned the incidents that occurred last night in Tirana ahead of the football match between the national teams of Albania and Serbia, during which the Serbian flag was torn and extremist symbols were promoted, RTV reports.

He stated that Serbia, as a state, does not have the right to react to these incidents because they did not occur on its territory, but emphasized that in Albania, there is a systematically cultivated hatred toward Serbs, which spills over into sports events.

“The real question is whether the Albanian state is able and willing to control this. If not — if it cannot control it — then the sports associations responsible for these matters must certainly take appropriate measures,” Dacic told RTS.

According to him, there must be equality and fairness.

“Remember when Milorad Cavic was stripped of his medal just for wearing a T-shirt that said ‘Kosovo is Serbia’? Will anyone react to Greater Albania slogans? Probably not. And that’s it — double standards.

We need to be aware of that and stop lamenting over our fate,” Dacic said.

A large group of Albanian football fans last night in downtown Tirana, ahead of the match against Serbia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, tore apart the Serbian flag while chanting “Kill the Serb.”
Albanian fans engaged in typical provocations, such as waving Kosovo flags and displaying banners with the “KLA” (UÇK) insignia.

They also carried a flag of “ethnic Albania,” similar to the one that Ismail Morina flew over the stadium in Belgrade during the Serbia-Albania match in 2014.