Serbia threatens Euro 2024 exit over fan chants, UEFA to respond
The Serbian national team might bid farewell to Euro 2024, not for sporting reasons. The general secretary of the Serbian Football Association has threatened that their national team will withdraw from the tournament. This wouldn't be the first instance of a national team withdrawing from a major football tournament.
The Serbian Football Association demands the punishment of fans of the Croatian and Albanian national teams. Otherwise, it threatens to withdraw from the tournament held in Germany.
What happened is scandalous and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even if it means not continuing the competition, said the Serbian football association secretary to journalists.
It's about the chant "kill, kill, kill the Serb", which fans of the Croatian national team chanted during the Croatia vs. Albania match (2-2). UEFA is handling the matter.
National teams that have withdrawn from major tournaments
Serbia would not be the first national team to withdraw from a major football tournament. So far, five national teams have refused to play in them. However, the reasons these teams decided to end their journey differ entirely from those of Serbia.
Scotland
Before the group stage began, they withdrew from the World Cup in Brazil in 1950. Before qualifying, they had defeated Switzerland and France. However, in the British qualifiers that were held then, they came second behind England.
Turkey
They withdrew from the same tournament at the same stage because they were unlikely to achieve anything in the game. Turkey would have made its first appearance in the World Cup tournament like Scotland.
Austria
The national team was forced to withdraw from the 1938 World Cup. The country was occupied by Nazi Germany.
India
The only team that withdrew from the tournament has never qualified for the World Cup since. India is another team that cancelled their trip to Brazil in 1950. Rumours suggested that the Indian squad demanded to play barefoot. However, this was untrue. The team was divided and did not train before the tournament.
France
Another team that withdrew from the 1950 World Cup was France. France was considerably weaker than the football powerhouses at the time. Their national team was losing games, for instance, to Scotland. Like India, the French withdrew because they feared losing all their matches.
What will happen if Serbia withdraws from Euro 2024?
The last group stage match against Denmark would result in a forfeit. According to UEFA regulations, Denmark would win 3-0 automatically, and Serbia would be fined heavily.
However, Serbia's blackmail might become irrelevant. Before UEFA considers the matter, on June 25th, their national team could already be eliminated from the tournament in Germany. After two rounds, Serbia is at the bottom of Group C.
Coach Dragan Stojkovic's team lost its first match 0-1 against England. In the second match at Euro 2024, it barely scraped a 1-1 draw against Slovenia. Before the last group stage match, Serbia had 1 point and a very difficult match against Denmark.
