Kosovo was collecting money yesterday to pay FIFA fines of Switzerland players Granit Xhaka, Xherdan Shaqiri and Stephan Lichtsteiner for celebrating goals with a pro-Kosovo double eagle gesture in their World Cup win over Serbia.
Shaqiri was born in 1991 in Kosovo and left it while he was one year old while Xhaka was born in Switzerland in 1992 in a family originating from Kosovo.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The double eagle symbol represents the Albanian flag and is viewed as a symbol of defiance in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 in a move that Serbia still refuses to recognise. FIFA, whose rules prohibit political symbols in stadiums, fined Xhaka and Shaqiri each 10,000 Swiss francs (8,700 euros, 10,000 dollars) and Lichtsteiner 5,000 Swiss francs.
Nearly 12,000 euros were gathered less than 24 hours after an online fund -- www.gofundme.com/Xhaka-Shaqiri-and-Lichtsteiner -- was launched.
Kosovo Commerce and Industry Minister Bajram Hasani said he had donated 1,500 euros, which is his monthly salary.
"Money cannot pay the joy that Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri brought us by celebrating with the eagle sign after their goals during the Switzerland-Serbia match," Hasani said.
MARADONA A MEXICO SUPPORTER
Despite having recently said that Mexico did not deserve to host a World Cup, Argentina legend Diego Maradona on Monday said that he is supporting El Tri after a review of all of the Latin American teams participating in Russia.
"I am a supporter [of Mexico] already because they made this first round great. Mexico have shown that they could be able to beat Sweden, that they have the condition," Maradona told Venezuelan TV channel Telesur during his program "De la Mano del 10."
Maradona also said that by beating South Korea, Mexico showed that their initial win over Germany was no fluke. Against South Korea, Maradona said that Mexico went in aggressively and within the first or second touches they were already in position to score.
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