Romanian Football Federation appeals UEFA decision on Nations League match abandoned by Kosovo

The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) said on December 3 that it would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against UEFA's decision regarding the Romania–Kosovo match on November 15.

The Nations League match, hosted by Bucharest, ended prematurely when the Kosovo team refused to continue playing with less than two minutes remaining in stoppage time. Despite waiting for over an hour, the referee was forced to end the game, with only the Romanian team remaining on the pitch.

The UEFA Appeals Body awarded Romania a 3-0 win after the incident. However, the Romanian Football Federation also received several fines, and Romania's national team was ordered to play the next home match without spectators.

FRF criticized UEFA's sanctions as excessive and unjustified, highlighting the lack of action against the Kosovo Football Federation.

"Kosovo violated football's most important principle - that the match must be decided on the pitch. Yet, they were not sanctioned. Meanwhile, we received fines and sanctions we consider disproportionate," said FRF president Răzvan Burleanu.

The FRF also emphasized that Romanian fans behaved respectfully and were provoked during the match, claiming there is evidence to support this claim. Kosovo said it decided to abandon the game after hearing ‘Serbia, Serbia’ chants from Romanian supporters, accusing the home fans of “racial discrimination.”

The appeal aims to uphold the image of Romanian football and ensure fair play principles are respected, the Football Federation said.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)