Kosovo beefs up security ahead of football match with Israel

As Israel’s footballers prepare to play Kosovo in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday which is their first international fixture since the war broke out in the country in October, Pristina police are on alert after a series of social media posts calling for the game to be canceled.

Although a vast majority of Kosovo citizens are Muslim, it considers itself the most pro-US state in the world and firmly adheres to its most important ally’s foreign policy.

However, after dozens of messages criticising Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began to circle social media under the hashtag #BabyKillersAreNotWelcomedHere, Kosovo police told local media that they have been “increasing security measures” so that the game “goes as smoothly as other sports events”.

Kosovo authorities have already announced that each of the 14,000 tickets released for Sunday’s game will be personalised, and only fans who present both tickets and their ID cards will be allowed into the Fadil Vokrri stadium.