Kosovo Football Fans Hail Historic 'First' in Mitrovica

Tens of thousands of football fans in Kosovo crowded the Adem Jashari stadium in South Mitrovica for an unprecedented event on Tuesday evening.

They had come to see the first team from Kosovo ever to play in the Champions League qualifiers since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

The team, Trepca 89, was eliminated in the first round - after losing 1:4 to Vikingur from Denmark's Faroe Islands in their second game.

The team lost earlier, 1:2, in their debut on June 27 on the Faroe Islands.

Despite the defeat on the pitch, players and experts hailed an important moment for Kosovo footballers - who have never been allowed to play under the Champions League banner before this.

"This is a historic moment, since after years of bans, our clubs have won the right to play in the preliminaries of the Champions League and Europa League, after Kosovo football clubs were admitted to international games," Fadil Vokrri, head of the Kosovo Football Federation, told BIRN.

In May 2016, UEFA's annual congress voted to accept the Football Federation of Kosovo's application for membership, paving the way for teams from the country to enter European club competitions.

The UEFA decision was made despite strong opposition from Serbia, which opposes any recognition of its former province's statehood.

Until then, Kosovo teams were unable to compete internationally, although two years before, FIFA agreed to allow the national team to play so-called friendlies with other countries under special conditions.

"After these two matches, it will be a new experience for our footballers. Our football clubs and the national team will improve every day, in order to achieve the desired results," Vokri said.

The captain of Trepca...