The Kosovo Football Federation has warned its Spanish counterpart to respect the sovereignty of the country ahead of the upcoming World Cup qualifier in Seville.
In a press release and on Twitter, Spain referred to Kosovo as a “territory“. Spain is one of the few countries that does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 independence from Serbia.
The match is due to be played on 31 March. In Group B, Kosovo is joined by Greece and Georgia- another two countries that do not recognise Kosovo as an independent country.
The Kosovo Federation took issue with Spain’s reference and called it “unacceptable”. They said they have asked the Spanish federation to respond to their concerns, adding that failure to do so would “damage relations between our federations and countries.”
“If they do not great, we shall be obliged to ask for our rights at UEFA where will she ask for protection from that Institution as we are a UFEA member with equal rights like the 54 other federations and Spain is obliged to treat us like that.,” they said.
They added:
“Kosovo is an independent state recognized by most of the developed democratic countries on the globe.” They added it has been an equal member of UEFA and FIFA since 2016.
Two years ago Spain refused to respect the national anthem and flag of Kosovo. UEFA responded by moving the qualifying games in the under 17 European Championship.
