体坛英语新闻：Serbia asks FIFA to ban Kosovo from friendlies

BELGRADE, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Serbian Football Association (FSS) sent Thursday an open letter to FIFA, the world football governing body, asking to re-access its decision to grant Kosovo national team to play friendly football matches, at the irregularities and violence displayed at the debut at Kosovska Mitrovica.

According to FSS, the national team of Kosovo didn't fulfill the agreement not to have insignias of the non-recognized country of Kosovo on players equipment and the stadium, to have the sign "* " next to the name Kosovo, as well as not to intonate the national hymn.

The debut match of the Kosovo team took place on March 6 in Kosovska Mitrovica against Haiti.

"Before the start of the game, football fans have set Serbian flag on fire and insulted symbols of our country. During the match fans insulted Serbian nation and state," FSS stated in the letter published on their website, among other irregularities.

"We fear that the match will turn into a political propaganda with the aim to promote non-existent statehood," stated FSS, which demanded FIFA to re-access and cancel the January 13 decision of the FIFA Emergency Committee that granted Kosovo to play friendlies.

Serbian flag was burned once more on the same day by fans of Croatian national team at St Gallen Switzerland, where Croatia played an away friendly.

The Croatian incident was a reaction against the statement of Croatian sport minister Zeljko Jovanovic that he didn't see that Croatian flag was burned down in Belgrade during the World Cup qualification match against Serbia, played in Belgrade on September 16, 2013.

These incidents were the continuation of the streak racist incidents in Former Yugoslav republics that brought lots of worries both to FIFA officials and local football associations.