Serbia’s national team coach, Dragan Stojković, has once again spoken about the atmosphere during the Albania–Serbia match held Saturday at the “Air Albania” stadium in Tirana. His earlier description of the environment as “fantastic” sparked criticism in Serbia, prompting the Serbian Football Federation to issue clarifications, reports Rks News.
Speaking in a press conference ahead of Serbia’s match against Andorra, Stojković elaborated on his comments:
“I was referring solely to the football atmosphere. I use football vocabulary and terminology. What happened on the pitch was respectable. Both benches showed mutual respect. Of course, I’ll always oppose anything that goes against the spirit of football. But we can’t influence that—there are institutions for that. They’ll hand out penalties, but not us. It truly was a South American-type atmosphere. You weren’t there—you saw it on TV. Anyone would want such an atmosphere. For the first time, I couldn’t hear the anthem. Imagine the eruption of disapproval and whistles.”
He emphasized that the Serbian team proudly sang their national anthem and distanced himself from any political interpretations.
“Do you really think we’d be greeted with applause? That’s their behavior—it’s not mine to comment politically. I’m not a politician, and I avoid that language. I was talking about the stadium environment. Let me be clear—no one should question my Serbian identity. I love my Serbia, and my mission is to make it a champion.”
Stojković concluded by praising the hospitality and organization in Tirana:
“The hospitality was phenomenal, the organization was phenomenal. There were no issues at all. I believe we’ll return the favor in kind. Watch the Boca–River derby, and you’ll understand what I mean.”
