DOHA, Qatar (AP) — The Croatian and Serbian soccer federations were fined Wednesday by FIFA for making political statements about the Balkans at the World Cup.
FIFA fined the Croats 50,000 Swiss francs ($53,000) after fans of the team verbally abused and mocked Canada goalkeeper Milan Borjan, who has Serbian family ties.
The Serbian soccer federation was fined 20,000 Swiss francs ($21,300) for a political banner about neighboring Kosovo displayed in the locker room before playing Brazil in the team’s opening game.
It showed a map of Serbia that included the territory of its former province, which has been an independent state for almost 15 years, and the slogan “No Surrender”.
The Kosovo football federation formally complained to FIFA about the banner, which was hung over the lockers of two Serbian players on November 24.
FIFA said the charge against Croatia related to the “use of words and objects to convey a message that is not appropriate for a sporting event.”
Borjan was born in an ethnic Serb region of Croatia. He and his family left his hometown in 1995 when it was taken over by Croatian forces. The ethnic Serbs are said to have fled on tractors.
During Canada’s 4–1 loss on November 27, a banner displayed by Croatian fans used a flag of tractor manufacturer John Deere and changed the marketing slogan to target Borjan.
FIFA also fined Saudi Arabia 30,000 Swiss francs ($32,000) for “team misconduct” after receiving six yellow cards in matches against Argentina and Mexico.
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