HAMBURG: Albanian forward Mirlind Daku, who led fans in derogatory post-match chants about North Macedonia with a megaphone, apologized on Friday citing the intense emotions of playing at Euro 2024.
Daku was caught on camera whipping up fans after Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in Hamburg. That triggered a demand for an apology from North Macedonia’s football federation plus an investigation from Europe’s soccer body UEFA.
“Apologising is manly, and I feel a moral and professional obligation to do so, for all those who have been hurt,” he said in an Albanian-language statement on social media.
“Like any footballer, in those moments the emotions are on another level, which can only be understood on the field. It is difficult to describe the feeling of playing for this national team, for these wonderful fans who give us unlimited love.”
Albania are at only their second major tournament and have been roared on by some of the most fanatical supporters seen so far during the month-long tournament in Germany.
“Sorry if I offended anyone after the match with Croatia, the effect of the game does its thing,” the 26-year-old added in his post. “I continue to work together with the whole group for our dreams.”
Kosovo controversy
Rows are proliferating at the tournament over insults relating to bitter rivalries in the Balkans region.
Serbia is demanding punishment for Croatia and Albania over hateful language, saying both sets of fans chanted “Kill, kill, kill the Serb” during their match on Wednesday. Serbia have also been admonished by UEFA for their fans’ behavior.
Most of the controversies center on Albanian-majority Kosovo, whose independence Serbia does not accept.
Kosovo-born Daku represented his homeland before switching to Albania in 2023. Ethnic Albanians revolted in North Macedonia two decades ago.
“An investigation has been opened in relation to the alleged inappropriate behavior of the Albanian Football Association (FSHF) player, Mr. Mirlind Daku,” UEFA said in its statement.
North Macedonia’s football federation said his “nationalist chants” were “scandalous.”
Albanian player apologizes for encouraging offensive fan chants
https://arab.news/84jv7
Albanian player apologizes for encouraging offensive fan chants
- Daku was caught on camera whipping up fans after Albania’s 2-2 draw with Croatia in Hamburg
- Albania are at only their second major tournament and have been roared on by some of the most fanatical supporters seen so far
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
