Switzerland face Serbia in the World Cup on Thursday evening and while this is a crunch match in Group G, for a number of players this game will mean so much more.
Indeed, this is a game that is filled with a number of geo-political sub-plots surrounding a number of Albanian-descending players within the Switzerland squad – namely Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka.
The pair both scored against Serbia in their meeting in 2018 and celebrated with the rather controversial ‘Albanian Eagle’ celebration, but what is the meaning behind this gesture?
Albanian Eagle explained
The symbolism behind this celebration is rather simple. The crossed hands with the spread fingers is meant to represent the eagle that is shown on the Albanian flag.
The gesture resembles the double-headed eagle on the Albanian flag, and it is also associated with Albanian ethnicity where Albanians call themselves as “Shqiptar” (son of eagle) and their country “Shqipëri” (land of eagles).
But why are Swiss players celebrating by showing a symbol of Albania? Well, players such as Shaqiri and Xhaka were born in the ethnically-Albanian region of the old Yugoslavia that was oppressed by the Serbian population at the time.
More than a million Kosovans and Albanians were driven out of their homes during this period, including the families of Xhaka and Shaqiri who moved to Switzerland.
Shaqiri and Xhaka would grow up representing the Swiss team, but their links to Albania and Kosovo have always been a part of their identity, and they made sure to show the Serbians that back in 2018.
Now, a rematch has been scheduled in Qatar and tensions could again boil over if any player in the Swiss squad with Albanian or Kosovan heritage finds the back of the net and celebrates in this manner.
Back in 2018, fines were issued to both Xhaka and Shaqiri for their celebrations, with FIFA hoping to deter any political messaging throughout the World Cup, but whether or not that punishment will stop any Swiss player from celebrating in such a way this time around remains to be seen.
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