The UEFA Euro U-21 2027 qualifiers are taking place this week, at the same time as the World Cup qualifiers, and Spain beat Kosovo 3-1 on Tuesday evening, with goals by Joel Roca (Girona), Iker Bravo (Udinese) and Adrián Niño (Málaga CF). The match was marked by a exchange of reproaches between the two football associations.
On their social channels, Spain announced the match as "Territory of Kosovo" vs. Spain. Kosovo, a small country between Albania, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia, unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Only 108 members from the United Nations recognise the independency of Kosovo. Serbia is not among them. Most of the countries in the European Union (22 out of 27) recognise Kosovo, but not Spain.
The Football Federation of Kosovo then published a letter sent to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and RFEF President Rafael Louzán, calling Spain's actions "unacceptable". "Such an approach denies the sovereignty of Kosovo, which is an independent state and represented by the Football Federation of Kosovo, an equal and full member of UEFA, as is the RFEF itself."
Meanwhile, the Kosovo Federation took matter into their own hands by jokingly announcing the match as "Kosovo vs. Al-Andalus". Spain deleted the original tweet naming Territory of Kosovo, but Kosovo's post stays.
<social>https://x.com/FootballKosovo/status/1965365625561510085</social>