KALININGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 22: Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group E match between Serbia and Switzerland at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 22, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Camera IconKALININGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 22: Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group E match between Serbia and Switzerland at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 22, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images

The story behind Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka’s wings celebration against Serbia

Herald Sun

GRANIT Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri scored in Switzerland’s 2-1 victory over Serbia at the World Cup, and both celebrated by making a nationalist symbol to their ethnic Albanian heritage.

In the tournament’s first come-from-behind victory, Xhaka made it 1-1 in the 52nd minute with a powerful shot through a crowded penalty.

Shaqiri added the other in injury time after running past the Serbian defense. Both put their open hands together with their thumbs locked and fingers outstretched to make what looks like the double-headed eagle displayed on Albania’s national flag.

The thumbs represent the heads of the two eagles, while the fingers look like the feathers.

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The gesture is likely to inflame tensions among Serb nationalists and ethnic Albanians.

Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia doesn’t recognize Kosovo’s independence and relations between the two countries remain tense.

Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Camera IconXherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images
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Xhaka’s parents are originally from Kosovo and they are of Albanian heritage.

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored for Serbia with a header in the fifth minute.

Although the win puts Switzerland in pole position to make it out of a tough group containing five-times winners Brazil, Petkovic was unimpressed with his players’ celebrations.

“You should never mix politics and football, it’s good to be a fan and important to show respect,” he told reporters after the game.

“It’s clear that emotions surface. I think on and off the pitch we need to steer away from politics in football and we should focus on this as a sport that brings people together.”

Shaqiri had been booed relentlessly by Serbia fans throughout a high-quality match, but the Stoke City forward had the last laugh with his last ditch winner.

“In football you have always emotions and you can see what I did and it’s just emotion,” he said in reference to his controversial celebration.

“I’m very happy to score the goal, that’s all.”

Along with Bologna’s Blerim Dzemaili, born in neighbouring Macedonia, Albanian-speaking players made more than a third of the starting line-up against Brasil.

The children of immigrants to Switzerland, they made no comment ahead of their match against Serbia which ended 2-1 in their favour.

Switzerland's Granit Xhaka celebrates after scoring his side's first goal (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP)
Camera IconSwitzerland's Granit Xhaka celebrates after scoring his side's first goal (Laurent Gillieron/Keystone via AP) Credit: AP

Before the match, relatives of the players made no secret of the symbolic importance of the match when seen from Kosovo’s capital Pristina.

For Valon Behrami’s uncle Qaush, his nephew will have a “special motivation for victory” because his parents suffered while Kosovo was Serbia’s province.

“They both lost their jobs and father was persecuted,” Qaush Behrami said.

Xhaka said the father of his cousin Granit was in a prison during the regime of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic and that the “family emigrated after he was released.”

Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal
Camera IconXherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal Credit: Getty Images

Like dozens of thousands of others, during the 1998-1999 war between Kosovo ethnic Albanian pro-independence guerrilla and Serbian forces, the families of Behrami, Xhaka and Shaqiri took refuge in Switzerland.

There are no official figures, but an estimated 200,000 Kosovo Albanians live in Switzerland, a striking number when compared with Kosovo’s 1.8 million inhabitants.

Along with the community living in Germany, they make up one of the main sources of income for Kosovo, sending around 175 million Swiss francs (152 million euros, $176 million) back every year.

This emigration dates back to before the Kosovo war.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj also lived in Switzerland, working as a bouncer and karate instructor before retuning to Kosovo and becoming one of the pro-independence guerilla leaders.

The last of the conflicts that accompanied the collapse of Yugoslavia claimed some 13,500 lives. More than 10,000 of the victims were Kosovo Albanians.

Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Camera IconXherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images

The war ended when NATO bombing forced Milosevic to withdraw his troops. Less than a decade later Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Belgrade still refuses to recognise the declaration and is supported by its traditional ally Russia.

Belgrade also goes to great lengths to prevent Kosovo teams from participating at international sports events, but with decreasing success.

Kosovo was officially recognised by the International Olympic Committee in 2014 and was admitted to European football body UEFA and the global body FIFA two years later.

But in May Serbia prevented the Kosovo karate squad from entering the country to participate in the European Championships in Novi Sad.

Not surprisingly, Kosovo will be cheering for Switzerland.

Switzerland's midfielder Granit Xhaka (C obscured) is congratulated on scoring
Camera IconSwitzerland's midfielder Granit Xhaka (C obscured) is congratulated on scoring Credit: AFP

“The whole of Kosovo will be in front of TV screens, cheering for the victory against Serbia,” teacher Daut Maloku, 46, told AFP.

“When Switzerland plays it is the same as when Kosovo does,” assured Qahil Halili.

“Switzerland is the third squad we have, after Kosovo and Albania,” said Halili, a municipal employee from Zhegra, where Shaqiri was born.

A hamlet in eastern Kosovo is known as a “little Switzerland” as 450 families have relatives there.

“Fans here will enjoy a Swiss victory more than the Swiss themselves,” sports journalist Shkumbin Sekiraqa said.