The northern part of Mitrovica, a Kosovar city, is divided by a bridge that runs across the Ibar River.
Albanians live to the south and Serbians live to the north, with both groups rarely crossing into the opposite suburbs for fear of attacks or abuse.
During the Yugoslav era, Mitrovica was a bustling multi-ethnic city, proud of its industrial strength thanks to the nearby Trepča mine. Back then, it was only natural for the city to have a relatively successful team named FK Trepča, with both Albanian and Serbian players on its squad. The team qualified for the Yugoslav First League in 1977and soon after reached the Yugoslav Cup finals, in the 1977-78 season.
A few years later, in 1986, a striker named Fadil Vokrri was playing for Partizan Belgrade. He was one of the few Kosovar Albanians to play for an elite Serbian team and represented the best of Albanian and Serbian relations. A popular figure with both ethnicities, the late Vokrri went on to become head of the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK) - spearheading the campaign for Kosovo to join UEFA and FIFA.
Due to the Kosovo War in 1999, as well as increasing attacks on Albanians by Serbian paramilitary police, the Kosovar Albanian players from FK Trepča left the club. They formed their own homogeneous team, KF Trepça. The new club, with virtually the same name and crest, went on to play in what was once called the Olympic Stadium. It has since been renamed after Adem Jashari, who is considered by many Kosovar Albanians as the symbol of their struggle for independence. While many Albanians associate his name with victory, it brings painful memories for Serbs. As a result, FK Trepča players refuse to play in that stadium.
FK Trepča has been left to pick up the pieces. The club plays in the Serbian League West, which is not recognized by the the Kosovar Football Federation (FFK). Virtually a third-tier Serbian club, FK play at the 3500 seater Zvečan Stadium. In 2019, FK club secretary Petar Milosavljevic said: “There is no way that Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo can play football together”.
Kosovan analyst Artan Muhaxhiri agrees. He argues that Kosovo has not created the preconditions for Serbian clubs to play in Kosovo’s league system: “One should not forget the security issue, which is very problematic. Kosovo police fail to properly secure the stadiums where Kosovo Albanian clubs play, let alone Serbian ones. Prerequisites, security and guarantees must be created for [Serbians]”.
Muhaxhiri also believes that Albanians and Serbs do not play together due to political reasons; “This is a political issue, a direct result of the Kosovo institutions’ demeanor towards the Serbian minority, following some impositions coming from the European Union. Serbs in Kosovo have a special status, and this includes sport. It would be better for Serbian clubs to play under the umbrella of FFK, and that would suit the institutions of Kosovo as well”. Overall, there are 24 Serbian clubs in Kosovo that are part of the Serbian football system, non of them recognises the FFK nor agrees to play under it.
The example of Mitrovica is representative of Kosovo as a whole. The young nation comprises of a mostly Albanian demographic, making up 88% of the population, while ethnic minorities form the rest. Serbians are the largest group, yet not even one Serbian is currently playing for the Kosovo national team. This is due to, of course, political issues, but family pressure also plays a role when it comes to making such a tough choice. This fact stains the current success of the Kosovo national team, topping their Nations League group and reaching the Euro 2020 playoffs. The lack of representation by Kosovo’s minorities extends to the country’s IPKO Superliga, the top tier of Kosovar football.
While the Superliga consists of a variety of players, even from countries such as Ghana and Niger, it lacks diversity of Kosovo’s ethnic groups. Only one Serbian plays in the league - Tarik Čmajčanin, who plays for KF Ballkani. 36 out of the 308 (11.69%) Superliga players are of foreign origin. Only one of them is Serbian.
Limited Success
While history and current issues show how difficult it is for football to bridge the divide between Albanians and Serbs, an effort is being made to ensure the next generation won’t experience the same issues.
Open Fan Football Schools, or OFFS, is a project that uses grassroots sports as a tool for social cohesion, primarily post-conflict. OFFS has done much to use the power of football to bring people together. Speaking to UEFA, founder Anders Levinsen describes his organisation as one that “leverages the energy of the game to gather people across cultural divides".
There is proof that OFFS is contributing to bridging the ethnic divide, through the program’s 12 coaches and 12 assistants, all from different backgrounds. Additionally, the staff makes sure at least half of the young players are if a non-Albanian ethnic minority. It’s great to see the program getting support from 25 clubs across the country, including Turkish, Bosnian and Serbian teams although we could not discern which teams are involved.
The activities are offered to children under 12 years. This age group is crucial as younger children are less likely to harbour prejudice and are more accepting of their peers. If the OFFS continues to provide services to the youth, a whole generation will grow up without past horrors and are more likely to live together with all ethnicities in peace.
Tough Challenges Ahead
It’s clear to see that the beautiful game in Kosovo is struggling to bridge the ethnic divide, despite some positives. For example, the appointment of Serbian Predrag Jovic as Vice President of the FFK has done little to bring Serbs under the umbrella of the Kosovo league system. Several factors affect the reconciliation efforts between Albanians and Serbs: Serbia uses clubs as proxies to continue the denial of the legitimacy of the FFK, and the Kosovo government is not funding projects that contribute to social and ethnic inclusivity. Furthermore, the issue goes deeper - Albanians and Serbians both experience pressure from their families to avoid playing against “the other” ethnicity, due to prejudices and suspicions of the past. Unfortunately, until those in football can put their political differences aside, Albanians and Serbs cannot play together like they once used to.