The North Macedonian Football Association said it lodged a complaint with UEFA, on Tuesday, accusing Serbian striker Marko Arnautovic of making a nationalist gesture against his opponent.
Arnautovic waved his hand towards Ezjan Alewski, of Albanian origin, after he scored his third goal on Sunday in Austria’s 3-1 victory over North Macedonia in a Euro 2020 soccer match.
The dispute revolves around the gesture of Arnautovic, who joined his thumb and forefinger as he celebrated the 3-1 goal. I left three fingers up, which could mean “three” off the scoreboard or be a cliched “OK” but it’s also the symbol white supremacists use.
“We are always against nationalism, discrimination and other forms of insult that do not represent the spirit of football,” the North Macedonia Federation said.
The 32-year-old Austrian striker admitted that he uttered more inflammatory words, and therefore apologised, but emphasized, in large letters, on his Instagram account, that he was not racist.
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