The (non) scandal of the Albanian Eagle
When Switzerland played Serbia last week the serious, and not so serious media burst with commentary on whether the ethnically Albanian Swiss players committed a serious football crime by gesturing the two-headed Albanian eagle when they scored against Serbia. Was this a politically-charged and provocative display (r.54 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code) of victorious joy, or an innocuous display of emotion, akin to the momentary display of a naked torso? No matter the level of seriousness, Xhaka and Shaqiri may have secured a solid victory for Switzerland but they were both punished by FIFA by way of a fine.
Feelings ran high on both ethnic groups around the world: The Albanians (of Albania, Kosovo and the Diaspora) were outraged by the overreaction and politisation of a seemingly innocuous gesture. The Serbs, on the other hand took it to mean a reminder and a “dig” at their raw feelings over Kosovo, a country which a great deal of them still struggle to accept as independent despite international consensus to that effect. But the question arises, why are the Serbs so sensitive about being reminded of anything Albanian? The display of the players’ Albanian roots per se cannot be the problem here but the Serb’s perception of such display is. It is worrying that there is an immediate discomfort at anything Albanian even in a sports tournament, which can only be a sign of their unresolved issues with Kosovo. And if that is the case why should Xhaka and Shaqiri be penalised for celebrating a victory with the reminder of their roots because the Serbia’s feelings may be hurt? Does is this count as provoking the general public for purposes of r.54 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code? Who is the general public in this case? Switzerland won and that was partly due to the excellent performance of players of Albanian extraction. That is a fact. But in this case the protest on behalf of the defeated team was an uncomfortable reminder that political immaturity and ethnic tension are very much alive and kicking in the Balkans. And during the most international tournament when we celebrate sportsmanship and diversity in its true and original sense, ironically, we are reminded that one must be quiet about where they come from. When one does score an amazing goal and secures victory for its team, one shall commit a crime if one displays its ethnic roots. But for no cogent reasons.
Display of ethnicity: a FIFA problem
In my view Xhaka and Shaqiri’s gestures were neither political nor calculated to provoke the general public. It is difficult to see why the general public would be reasonably provoked at a given player’s ethnicity or what political or religious cause the Albanian players could have been advertising by referring to their roots. Both Kosovo and Albania are independent countries with impressive religious harmony. That is why FIFA’s approach to categorise the double headed eagle as a provocative act is lazy and ultimately unfair. It boils down to curtailing a spontaneous manifestation of diversity where ethnically different people integrate in other countries, contribute to their society and subsequently produce impressive results in what is, after all, a sports competition. There is no reason why, whilst playing for one team, the players cannot also display affection for the country of origin. That is neither political nor provoking. Had the football team of Albanian played in the World Cup those double headed eagles would have been everywhere on the players clothes. The Albanian team too would have probably celebrated with the gesture of the double headed eagle. Did it then matter to FIFA that despite their Albanian roots, Xhaka and Shaqiri play for Switzerland? Was the situation politicised because the match was won against Serbia and not let’s say for the sake of argument against Italy?
FIFA’s apparent decision that an acknowledgement of ethnicity as part of the celebrations is either offensive or politically charged does not sit comfortably in their defined categories. It is also worrying because it does imply an expected degree of assimilation. And if so, what possible justification could there be?
These are fundamental questions that need proper consideration. Fines are simply not going to be the answer.
Why so proud to be Albanian?
Having said all that, people may wonder why the urge or emotion to display the Albanian connection? It can only be to stir up political feelings, some may argue. But if you knew anything at all about Albanian history and culture you would understand why the Albanian identity in times of victory has little to do with political overload. The celebration of the Albanian identity is much deeper and broader that that: it is a celebration of survival and achievement against all historical odds and not a political gesture with nationalist overtones, i.e. a cheap dig at a particular country or peoples. Albania itself is a small country of 2,5 million people. It is a historical miracle that a distinct Albanian language (the only surviving language in its branch of the Indo-European family) and culture survived 500 years of Ottoman invasion. It is also true that when its territories were emaciated in the Conference of Ambassadors of London in 1913, the ethnically Albanian Kosovo was annexed to Yugoslavia and so the saga of suppression, segregation and, ultimately, ethnic cleansing began. It culminated with NATO’s military intervention in 1999 to stop the humanitarian disaster over the Albanian population and nine years later Kosovo gained its independence in 2008. Albania itself, invaded by the Italians in 1939 at the beginning of WWII and then occupied by the Germans, suffered the most drastic form of communism after the end of the WWII, giving even North Korea a run for its money. In the early 1990s, it emerged democratic and pluralist but it remains poor and institutionally problematic to this day.
Therefore this strong sense of identity and pride in achievements must be seen against the historical context of the last 500-600 years. It is not aimed at provoking the public or a particular people and it undoubtedly extends beyond football, Eurovision and any other demonstration of instantaneous pride.
Non-famous and normal Albanians share a similar desire to confirm their origins and attribute, their good work, to some extent to their roots and values. By way of example, I personally did not come from Kosovo but from the capital of Albania. Thankfully my relatives were not victim of ethnic cleansing and I did not live in fear of my life. My family, unlike that of Xhaka and Shaqiri did not leave their homes because they feared for their lives and dignity. I left in normal circumstances to study in the UK where I then remained. I have married an Englishman and have been working as a barrister for over 10 years. Despite the lack of personal drama and my level of integration in British society, 19 years later I feel as Albanian as I always did. Not only I do not shy away from my origin but I sometimes volunteer information in what are traditionally English or British dominated professional circles such as the Bar or the judiciary. I may not gesture the Albanian eagle when I win a case in court, partly because that is not as spectacular as scoring a goal and securing a victory in a world competition, but be assured that despite being an English barrister I am, very aware and to some extent proud, to be Albanian. When judges, opponents and clients ask of the origins of the unusual name or the accent, they get the fullest answer possible in the time permitted. And I would expect that if I won a case against a barrister who may be ethnically Serb they would not find it offensive or politically charged if I mentioned Albania to them. There are many other Albanians around the world in my position.
The fallacy of punishment
FIFA’s approach to the Albanian eagle is misguided and superficial. FIFA only needed to look at the world of international music stars to show that this is the case: nobody has accused Rita Ora ( Kosovar/Albanian), Dua Lipa (Kosovar/Albanian) or Bebe Rexha (Macedonian/Albanian) of provocatively nationalistic conduct in their recognition and display of their Albanian origins, including the gesture of the two headed eagle. The two headed eagle is omnipresent in their public appearances and yo can see this freely on the internet just by googling their names. In fact, the BBC recently published an article on the three singers, referring to the Albanian origins and in a flattering manner suggesting there was something in the water. I agree. There probably is. So why should Xhaka and Shaqiri be penalised for their gestures? One might think that this is an overreaction on Fifa’s side and unnecessary political dressing of innocuous celebration taken completely out of context. I am not suggesting that FIFA should go into deep and musty historical archives if they think they are dealing with a potentially provocative nationalistic display in a football match. But in the case of Albanians and the double headed eagle you only need to look at popular culture, international pop-stars and the odd BBC article on them, to realise that there is nothing provocatively nationalistic about the two headed eagle. And if you felt really studious, you may also come across the Prime Minister of Albania occasionally doing the same gesture. The overdramatisation of the Albanian eagle cast a slight shadow over their sheer sport talent and the well-deserved victory. For that reason, I almost wished that instead of the double headed eagle, Xhaka and Shaqiri had taken their tops off in ecstasy and celebrated in that much less appealing but commonplace way. The losing team might have still been annoyed by the excessive rejoicing but at least FIFA would have been spared the headache and avoided a misguided decision.