Kosovo players WALK OFF the pitch vs Romania after fans chant 'Kosovo is Serbia'
Kosovo's Euro 2024 qualifier against Romania was halted after Romanian fans were heard chanting 'Kosovo is Serbia'.
The offensive gesture - which also included banners being unfurled in the stands by Romanian supporters with the same message - resulted in the Kosovan players leaving the pitch before they headed to the changing rooms.
Only 19 minutes of the clash had been played, with the score level at 0-0 at the time of the suspension.
Kosovo and Serbia are at odds due to that fact that the former is a mainly ethnic Albanian-populated territory that was formerly a province of Serbia. It declared independence in 2008.
However, Serbia has refused to recognise this and still considers it part of the country, despite having no formal control there.
Kosovo's independence has been recognised by about 100 countries, including the UK and the US. However, some countries such as Russia, China still side with Serbia, while Romania is another nation to not recognise its independence.
The deadlock has resulted in tensions continuing and means the Balkan region remains unstable following the bloody wars during the 1990s.
Tensions between the two nations have simmered over recent months and resulted in several renowned figures commenting on the issues.
This included tennis star Novak Djokovic, who wrote a message on a camera lens at the French Open back in May which read: 'Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence.'
The clash between Romania and Kosovo eventually resumed after a 50 minute stoppage but showed no signs of becoming less feisty with six yellow cards in the first half, while Kosovan striker Vedat Muriqi was sent off.
Before the game even begun, Romanian ultras chanted 'Serbia, Serbia' when the Kosovan anthem was played,
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