When Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri scored the equalising and winning goals for Switzerland against Serbia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, both players celebrated by performing the double-handed eagle gesture, landing them a hefty fine and causing a minor diplomatic crisis.
Outside of the Balkans, however, few people paid any notice or even really understood what it meant.
So ahead of Switzerland and Serbia meeting in another decisive group stage tie, this time at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, HITC Sevens takes a look at why that celebration in Russia was so controversial, the context behind it, and the build-up to this game.
19 Comments
Those celebrations in 2018 imo were kinda unnecessary. And that message posted in the Serbian locker room was just stupid and immature. like why can’t everyone just get along. Like bringing Balkan Politics into the World Cup is just CRINGE not just from Switzerland but Serbia as well. Like make peace and love. Seriously, we need to teach others about peace and unity especially all future generations. Because at the end of the day we are all human regardless of nationality ❤
Very insightful video, good job!
Double headed eagle is the most Christian Orthodox emblem .
My boy Shaqiri sent them home again 🤫👐🏽👐🏽
Only Novak Djokovic can spread his atrocious Serbian state propaganda that is the total opposite of the truth
The Irish Guy was right!
Alfie well done nice video
So you are not afraid of the war in the comments after this video? Last night game didn't help 😉
Do one on iran vs usa lots of explayers from 98 have brought up its politics and how this might be even more charged politically than in 1998 with a possible second revolution going on in iran and us policy in the middle east being factors of its current state.
Well done Alfie. I was a peacekeeper in Mitrovica nearly 20 years ago, good on you for telling their story 👍
Great video must be said
Really one sided story. Historical explanation about Kosovo has been talked about from Albanian propaganda point of view
up the eagles
Very well researched video mate. Greetings from Bosnia
Switzerland beat Serbia again and Germany don't get out of the group again
Tito je bio kralj. Srbi su zasrali sve.
What you are forgetting is that when nato was bombing serbia it was a war crime becouse they were targetig schools , meuseums , roads ect.. and they where using uranium leaving serbia with higher rate of cancer for next 30 years. No one took responsibility for this but yes in serbia everyone who fought for us not to have our teritory taken away is a war criminal and genocidal , i typed this becouse in this video you constantly hear how serbs are genocidal killed childer and what not but no one talks about what bombing did to us and how would ypu feel if whole south of your contry where all your history lays gets taken away becouse someone came there to live and made 10 childeren per family who all get suported by your own country..
im not surprised that you didnt mention that Bill Clinton declared the KLA as a terrorist organization, and less than year later teamed up with them to defeat Serbia, today as a Serb i recognize Kosovo as a country but i know that kosovo was stolen from Serbia
Thank you HITC Sevens for your Informative and so well researched and produced documentary! Finally somebody who points out the “Victim-Syndrome” of the serbs! Not that the Albanians did not provoke but nothing in comparison to the serbians and russians.