Kosovo's players stormed off the pitch in anger during their Euro 2024 qualifier with Romania - after Romanian fans repeatedly chanted 'Serbia', whom Kosovo declared independence from in 2008.<br /><br />Kosovo players walked off the pitch during their Euro 2024 qualifier with Romania after Romanian fans were heard chanting 'Kosovo is Serbia'.<br /><br />The Balkan nation declared independence from Serbia in 2008, due to its largely Albanian population. However, Serbia has disputed its independence, and it still considers Kosovo as a province of its country - despite having no formal control.<br /><br />The offensive chanting from the Romanian fans also included banners being unfurled in the stands with the same message.<br /><br />As a result, Kosovar players left the pitch with just 19 minutes on the clock, with the scores level at 0-0 at the time of the stoppage.<br /><br />Kosovo's independence has been recognized by about 100 countries, including the UK and the US. However, it's only an observer state on the UN council.<br /><br />Russia, China, and Spain are three of the countries who don't recognize the state - and instead back Serbia - with Romania also falling into this category.<br /><br />A stadium announcer could be heard saying: "Efforts are being made to restart the match.<br /><br />"Please stop chanting our neighbor's name! Revisionism is not tolerated by UEFA. This is the final warning."<br /><br />The stoppage lasted for 50 minutes before Kosovo and Romania agreed to continue the match.<br /><br />Nicolae Stanciu and Valentin Mihăilă found the net for the Eastern Europeans, as Romania claimed the three points in their bid to qualify for Euro 2024 next summer.
