Racist Chants Mar North Macedonia vs Romania World Cup Qualifier in Kumanovo

A scandal erupted after the basketball game between North Macedonia and Romania, a World Cup 2027 pre-qualifier, due to racist and xenophobic chants and slogans directed at Albanians by a small group of fans in the Kumanovo arena.

On Saturday, August 2, Romania started strong in the second phase of the 2027 Basketball World Cup pre-qualifiers, defeating North Macedonia 80-72 thanks to a solid defense and an offense expertly led by Lucas Tohătan and Dragoș Diculescu.

Beyond the game itself, the match in the recently renovated Kumanovo arena, treated as a major event in North Macedonia, sparked a significant scandal highlighting the fragile relationship between Macedonians and Albanians.

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During the game, a group of fans chanted racist and xenophobic slogans targeting Albanians, who represent a quarter of North Macedonia's total population, approximately 1.8 million people.

According to posts by the Democratic Union for Integration (BDI), the third-largest party in North Macedonia representing Albanian interests, fans shouted "A good Albanian is a dead Albanian," "Gas chambers for Albanians," and "Cleanse Albania."

A day after the Kumanovo match, the BDI criticized the lack of response from local authorities, noting that the game took place in the presence of Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, Kumanovo Mayor Maksim Dimitrieski, and other political figures.

"These slogans take us back to a dark age in European history. For us in the BDI, these acts are a strong alarm signal for democracy, coexistence, and the safety of citizens in this country."

"No one has the right to promote ethnic cleansing in stadiums, and no one has the political right to play with the feelings of people who have made an extraordinary contribution to building this state," stated the largest Albanian party in Macedonia.

Official reactions were slow to emerge, and the BDI increased pressure, demanding the resignations of Astrit Iseni, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and Safije Sadiki Shaini, Deputy Minister of Sport, for "failing to react, protect the public interest, and address a serious incident that directly affects inter-ethnic coexistence and the dignity of Albanian citizens."

"Apologies are not a solution. Apologies are useless when the same approach is repeated in every case. Lack of reaction is complicity. Albanians do not deserve silence. They voted for decent representation and the protection of their dignity in every chamber, institution, or level of government," the BDI further stated on Facebook.

Meanwhile, official reactions began to emerge, including from Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, who condemned the nationalist and xenophobic chants, stating that, although he was present, he did not notice them.

"We call on all fans to refrain from similar actions in the future and to contribute to creating a positive, safe, and inclusive atmosphere in stadiums and arenas. At the same time, we will always cooperate with the competent institutions to identify the people involved, so that isolated events of this kind do not happen again.

"We regret that such an event, which received the most praise in terms of hosting and organisation, was used for non-sporting purposes by a negligible structure of non-fans. We repeat: sport unites, it does not divide. Our common goal is fair competition, mutual respect, and the dignified representation of our colours."

Representatives of the city of Kumanovo stated that, unfortunately, a day after the event, it was observed that at a certain point during the game, some individuals in the audience chanted unacceptable slogans that promote ethnic intolerance in a city built on multi-ethnic values.

They publicly condemned the slogans and distanced themselves from them as the event’s host. They emphasised that Kumanovo has always been, and will continue to be, a city for all its citizens regardless of ethnicity, and reaffirmed that sport and culture will be used to unite people, as has been the case in the past.

The conflict between Macedonians and Albanians has existed for decades, and its origin is linked to the Albanian nationalist movement, which emerged at the end of the 19th century. Tensions between the two ethnic groups became stronger during the period when the Balkan countries were part of Yugoslavia.

Then, after the proclamation of North Macedonia's independence, the differences between Macedonians and Albanians, which are not only ethnic but also religious (Orthodox versus Muslim), surfaced and reached a climax in 2001 when Albanian guerrilla fighters clashed with Macedonian armed forces.

In the same year, the Ohrid Agreement was signed, guaranteeing the rights of Albanians in North Macedonia and allowing them to continue promoting their culture and traditions.