Mood
An interaction involving the Nati captain at the end of the match, shown very briefly on TV, is a credit to football.
Serbia won this Nations League match against Switzerland (2-0). But on Saturday evening in Leskovac there was another winner: football.
As the actors in this duel, both Serbian and Swiss, had all promised in front of the press, there were no incidents on the field linked to the Kosovar origins of Nati captain Granit Xhaka. However, the track record during the 2018 and 2022 matches gave rise to fears of problems. Especially since, this time, the two selections did not meet on neutral ground, but in Serbia.
But both Granit Xhaka and the entire Serbian team behaved impeccably during this match and the days preceding it.
No controversial statements in the media. No bad gestures on the lawn. Nothing. And the Swiss captain, this time, was able to keep his nerve in the face of the few provocations that came from the stands.
The match report????
It is important to underline this and congratulate all the actors in this part. They have been excellent ambassadors for football. They reminded us that their sport allows the peaceful meeting of people who, however, have mutual resentments.
In this, football – and sport more generally – is a real example to follow.
It has something to inspire leaders and populations of a planet on which mutual hatred and armed conflicts (the war in Kosovo at the end of the 90s, for example) are unfortunately not lacking.
A scene on Saturday evening in Leskovac crystallized the diplomatic virtues of a football match. Passed into the background on TV, only very attentive viewers were able to see it.
This is the beautiful hug, after the final whistle, between Granit Xhaka and the Serbian coach, Dragan Stojkovic.
The scene on video ????
Video: twitter
Seeing that the Nati captain was returning to the locker room, the technician – who had already praised Xhaka’s footballing qualities before the match – approached him to shake his hand. A friendly interaction followed, with pats on the back and a few brief words exchanged.
A very strong symbol. This gesture, under the eyes of thousands of spectators and viewers (especially young people), also serves as an example.
Certainly, this third defeat in three Nations League matches is very frustrating for the Swiss team and its fans. But she emerged from this trip to Serbia stronger thanks to her excellent management of the extra-sporting context. And that is surely the main thing.
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