‘Not in my name’: red-and-black fans display powerful messages at the Albania–Belarus match

Albania’s national team opened its Nations League League C campaign with a 2-0 victory over Belarus, as Klan Kosova reports. The red-and-blacks triumphed in front of their fans, on an evening when football intertwined with powerful messages from the stands.

In the stands filled with national flags, red-and-black fans unfurled the banner “Not in my name,” in protest against the 16 September guilty verdict by the Specialist Chambers in The Hague against four former KLA leaders. During the 90 minutes there was no shortage of continuous chants of “UÇK, UÇK” from the stands.

With this win, Albania secures its first three points in the group, which also includes Finland and San Marino. In three days, the red-and-blacks play away against San Marino.

The match was also the team’s first real test in this edition of the Nations League, while the fervent support of the fans gave the red-and-blacks an extra boost toward victory at the start of the competition.