Stephan Lichtsteiner has also been charged by FIFA after he joined in with Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri’s double-headed eagle celebration.

180625 daily mail lichtsteiner charged
Daily Mail, 25 June 2018

After the match, Lichtsteiner, the Swiss captain, also spoke out in defence of Xhaka and Shaqiri.

“I understand,” said Lichtsteiner about the celebrations of his teammates. “I think it’s normal, it’s a part of their lives, and Serbia provoked us before the match.”

Switzerland face Costa Rica on Wednesday where they know that a win will see them qualify for the last 16. Xhaka, Shaqiri and Lichsteiner all face two-match bans, however.

FIFA claim the gestures ‘risked inflaming political tensions in the Balkans among Serbian nationalists and ethnic Albanians’.

Article 54 of FIFA’s disciplinary code calls for an automatic two-match ban for those found guilty of ‘provoking the general public’, a ridiculously vague yet all-encompassing clause that allows the governing body to pick and choose what it deals with.

https://twitter.com/thisiskrazy/status/1010805602111631361

Speaking after the match about the gesture, Xhaka said, “Frankly, my opponents did not interest me at all.

“It was for my people, who always supported me. For those who did not neglect me, in my homeland, where my parents’ roots are. These were purely emotions.”

FIFA have also opened proceedings against the FSS for crowd disturbances and the display of political and offensive messages by Serbia fans just days after they were fined for a similar offence against Costa Rica. Serbia manager, Mladen Krstajic, is also under investigation for his alleged comments after the match.

Speaking to the complex geopolitical situation in the region that has resulted in a number of players turning out for Switzerland because Kosovo was not recognised as a nation when they declared their international allegiance, Xhaka and Shaqiri both used the gesture, which references the Albania flag, when they scored.

albania flag 2
Albania flag

Both players have Albanian heritage with Xhaka’s parents fleeing Kosovo before he was born. His father served three-and-a-half years in prison for protesting the communist central government in Belgrade.

Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian region that declared independence in 2008. His family fled the country for Switzerland.

Speaking after the match, Shaqiri said, “I think in football you have always emotions.

“You can see what I did and I think it’s just emotion. I’m very happy to score this goal. It’s not more. I think we don’t have to speak about this now.”

KALININGRAD, RUSSIA - JUNE 22: Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group E match between Serbia and Switzerland at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 22, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
KALININGRAD, RUSSIA – JUNE 22: Xherdan Shaqiri of Switzerland celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group E match between Serbia and Switzerland at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 22, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Xhaka, meanwhile, took to his Snapchat account to say, “Serbia I broke your net, because you call me Granit Kosova.” 

granit xhaka instagram

Granit Xhaka previously said that his father’s struggle for freedom in Kosovo spurred him on to be the best player possible.

Switzerland's midfielder Granit Xhaka celebrates scoring during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group E football match between Serbia and Switzerland at the Kaliningrad Stadium in Kaliningrad on June 22, 2018. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)
(Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

Ragip Xhaka was 22-years-old when he was taken to jail, where he spent the next three-and-a-half years for participating in demonstrations against the communist central government in Belgrade. Seeking democracy and freedom at a time of conflict and confusion, he paid a high price for voicing his beliefs.

It’s true that my father was imprisoned for three and a half years and it was because he stood up for what he believed in,” Xhaka told Swiss newspaper Blick in 2014. “It’s not a taboo subject in our household, we talk about it. After all, I want to know what happened.

While FIFA strive to keep politics out of football, something many fans would also like to see, it is simply impossible to do.

Politics touches every part of our lives and no matter how much people would rather it wasn’t the case, as long as humans play and run football, politics will continue to play an important role no matter what FIFA or anyone else wants.

FIFA have also opened proceedings against Croatia and Argentina after crowd disturbances from both sets of fans. They have also fined Poland 10,000 Swiss Frances (£7,625) for the display of a political and offensive banner during their match against Senegal.