UEFA have stated that they will investigate Marko Arnautovic’s disputed goal celebration in the match between Austria and North Macedonia at the UEFA European Championship 2020. This decision comes after the Football Federation of Macedonia (FFM) wrote a letter to UEFA, demanding the “harshest of punishments” for the Austrian forward.
The incident happened in a Group C match between Austria and North Macedonia. Shanghai Port striker found the back of the net in the 89th minute to give his team a 3-1 lead.
Just after he scored the goal, Arnautovic was seen mouthing a few heated words, initially directed at the opposition players and then to the fans. Austrian captain David Alaba arrived at the scene quickly, and had it not been for his efforts to pacify the 32-year-old goal-scorer, things could have escalated to a more troublesome extent.
According to some of the reports, Arnautovic’s words were directed at North Macedonian duo Egzon Bejtulai and Ezgjan Alioski. Notably, Bejtulai and Alioski have Albanian roots, while Arnautovic’s roots lie in Serbia.
The relationship between these two nations have been strained for a considerable period of time for various reasons, one of which is the region of Kosovo. If reports are to be believed, what Arnautovic hurled after scoring was an insult to Alioski and Bejtulai’s Albanian heritage.
“In accordance with the Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding the incident involving the player Marko Arnautovic that occurred during the 2020 European Championship group-stage match between the national teams of Austria and North Macedonia on 13 June 2021,”
UEFA’s statement read, as quoted by Goal.
I am not a racist.
claims Arnautovic
Following the outrage regarding his celebration, Arnautovic himself has claimed that he is not a “racist.” The player took to Instagram, where he wrote
“There were some heated words yesterday in the emotions of the game for which I would like to APOLOGIZE – especially to my friends from North Macedonia and Albania.
I would like to say one thing very clearly: I AM NOT A RACIST! I have friends in almost every country and I stand for diversity. Everyone who knows me is aware of that.
Whether Arnautovic’s claims has substance in it or not is for UEFA to decide, as both Austria and North Macedonia remain waiting for the outcome of the investigation.
