Fans entered the field during a Kosovo vs Romania football match on September 6 in Kosovo’s capital of Prishtina. They were taken by surprise when people threw fireworks and verbally abused other fans during the national anthem of Romania.

Skender Perteshi, a security expert from the Prishtina based think tank Institute for Security and Resilience, expressed concern about how the security system inside the stadium is organised and the qualifications of those responsible for maintaining order.

“First, how is the security system within the organisation of games or concerts regulated, and secondly, are the security personnel subjected to repeated tests to ensure they meet at least EU standards for safeguarding such events?” Perteshi probed.

He added that mechanisms in place to address such incidents exist only in theory, but in practice Kosovo lacks adequate staff to deal with mental health issues.

“When they are released from police stations, they have made very little progress.”

Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor of Kallxo.com, said at Kallxo Përnime TV programme on Friday, September 6 that Kosovo’s society lacks understanding of the far-right and what it seeks to change within society.

“There is a lack of understanding about what the far-right or other groups can bring into the football arena,” Gashi stated, claiming that it is important to look into “who is behind these actions and who is pushing them.”

“We played against a national team that does not recognize Kosovo. We should have given those players a different message—the hospitality we are known for, which we lost in the stadium,” Gashi emphasised.

Romania is one of the five EU member states that do not recognize Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.

According to Gashi, this situation has slipped out of the institutions’ control. “It is not appropriate that if a national team has expressed racist remarks towards our nation, we go to the stadium and respond the same.”

Aside from the negative phenomenon of hooliganism, experts stress that it is also important to investigate cases where children are exploited, or when parents fail to prevent such incidents.

“It is important to investigate who is behind these children who commit such actions, and these children should be dealt with by social workers and prosecutors,” Vehbi Mujku, expert of violent extremism, said.

He also noted that prompting children to engage in such acts in specific situations makes them feel empowered to act in front of crowds.

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“People in the stadium encouraged these children, shouting ‘Bravo, Bravo,’ giving them motivation. There should also be measures for parents who allow or accompany their children and show no care,” he stated further.

Kreshnik Gashi pointed out that Kosovo faces two problems: one is related to preventive mechanisms, and the other to reactive ones.

“When we play against Israel, the stadium is heavily secured because we assume there could be displays of Islamic religious extremism against Israel’s national team. In such cases, the state shows its strength and determination, and we manage to pass these events with zero incidents,” Gashi added.

Perteshi emphasised that the root problem lies within the family and how children are educated.

“Schools also need to be capable of channelling children’s energy because it can be directed for various purposes.”

Visar Osmani, principal of ‘Emin Duraku’ Elementary School in Prishtina, spoke about street children mostly coming illegally from Albania, noting that some do not have legal residency but still attend school in Prishtina, while during the day, they are often seen cleaning cars at traffic lights.

“We have 22 students in street situations who come from Albania without residency permits in Kosovo, and through a project, we have integrated them into the education process. However, it remains concerning that these same children are seen on the streets in the evening, at traffic lights or other designated areas,” Osmani stated.

Mujku on the other hand added that hooliganism in sport is not shown only toward other countries, according to him, cases where local fan groups also attack each other are not uncommon.

“This is the source of this extremism, of the radicalization of young people because they are motivated in such environments,” Mujku emphasised.

“In Gjilan/Gnjilane, during derbies between ‘Intelektualët’ and ‘Skifterat’, there are almost always knife stabbings and fights.”

He added that he had often been on buses with fans when they were attacked by being pelted with stones or other hard objects.

Meanwhile, Kreshnik Gashi pointed out that Kosovo is a vulnerable country and society, which can easily radicalise due to various factors.

“If we look at far-right groups, we have a history and a past that can be exploited for acts of violence and radicalization. There are movements connected to the LGBTI community and ethno-nationalism aimed to exploit younger generations who have limited or no criminal responsibility,” according to Gashi.

He added that, even in religious or Islamic extremism, children have been exploited to commit acts of violence.

“There were attacks where they beat a journalist for insulting an imam, or spread messages that promote extreme movements.”