In recent developments at the European Championships - Euro 2024 - the Football Association of Serbia has written a letter to the UEFA Secretary General, expressing concern over a shameful joint chanting incident directed against the Serbian nation during a match between Croatia and Albania on Wednesday in Hamburg. The chant, "kill, kill, kill the Serb," has prompted the association to call for sanctions and even consider withdrawing the Serbian team from the tournament.

Jovan Šurbatović, the General Secretary of the Football Association of Serbia, expressed his outrage by calling the incident scandalous and emphasized the association's intention to request punishment from UEFA, regardless of the consequences. In response, UEFA has appointed an inspector to investigate potential racist and discriminatory conduct by supporters during the Croatia versus Albania match.

While the animosity between Croatian and Albanian fans towards Serbia stem from ethnic and political grievances rooted in the 1990s Balkan conflicts, this incident has shed light on the deep-seated tensions still prevalent in the region. These grievances often revolve around issues surrounding Kosovo, a former autonomous province of Serbia with a majority ethnic Albanian population.

The letter posted online by the Football Association of Serbia requests UEFA to take action against those responsible for the chants and reminds the governing body that such acts of rampage, hatred, and racism go against everything it stands for. Furthermore, the letter accuses an unnamed Albanian player of using a megaphone to inflame the crowd with the same chant.

CNN has reached out to the Albanian and Croatian soccer federations for their comments on the Football Association of Serbia's letter. In a separate announcement, UEFA confirmed that it is investigating alleged inappropriate behavior by Albania's forward, Mirlind Daku.

This incident is not the first to mar Euro 2024 with fan incidents. Both the Albanian and Serbian soccer associations have previously been fined by UEFA. Albania received a fine of 37,375 euros (approximately $40,000) for incidents including fireworks, object throwing, pitch invasion, and transmitting provocative messages during their opening match against Italy. Serbia, on the other hand, was fined a total of 14,500 euros (approximately $15,500) for transmitting provocative messages and throwing objects during their match against England.

Meanwhile, Serbia managed to salvage a dramatic 1-1 draw against Slovenia in their second Group C match at Euro 2024. Luka Jović's header in the 95th minute denied Slovenia its first-ever win at a European Championships, keeping Serbia's hopes alive in the tournament. With one point, Serbia currently sits at the bottom of Group C, while Slovenia occupies second place with two points.

As the investigations into these disturbing incidents continue, the Football Association of Serbia and UEFA are committed to upholding the values of fair play, non-discrimination, and respect within the sport.