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Albania fined after booing French anthem at Euro qualifier

Albania's football federation was fined 5,000 euros by UEFA on Monday after their fans angrily booed the French anthem at a Euro 2020 qualifier

BELGIUM-EU-SUMMIT-DIPLOMACY-POLITICS
France's President Emmanuel Macron arrives for the second day of a European Union Summit at the Europa building in Brussels on December 13, 2019. - EU leaders on December 13, reached an agreement to work for carbon neutrality by 2050 -- but without the agreement of coal-hungry Poland. EU leaders also agreed to protect European businesses moving to renewable energy by applying a carbon levy on imports from less regulated suppliers, France said during the first EU summit to be chaired by incoming EU Council president Charles Michel. (Photo by CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / POOL / AFP)

Albania’s football federation was fined 5,000 euros by UEFA on Monday after their fans angrily booed the French anthem at a Euro 2020 qualifier in mid-November.

The booing followed a French gaffe at a previous meeting at the Stade de France in September when the visitors were shocked to hear the Andorran anthem played instead of the Himni i Flamurit.

Albania protested and refused to play until the correct music was played, and the game kicked off more than five minutes late.

France was fined 20,000 euros ($22,099) by UEFA for their mistake and President Macron made an official apology for the embarrassing oversight.

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At Albania’s stade Kombetare in Tirana, a luckless local singer was charged with performing a rendition of La Marseillaise, but was drowned out by whistling from a 22,000 crowd.

France won the matches 4-1 and 2-0 respectively, qualifying for the 2020 Euro finals.
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