Current:Home > MyIsraeli national team arrives in Kosovo for soccer game under tight security measures-LoTradeCoin
Israeli national team arrives in Kosovo for soccer game under tight security measures
View Date:2024-12-23 15:39:55
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Israel’s national soccer team arrived in Kosovo on Friday amid tight security measures at the airport ahead of a postponed European Championship qualifier.
The team’s two buses were accompanied by several police vehicles and armed officers as it left the airport.
There was also tight security at the hotel where the team was staying ahead of Sunday’s game. Police officers created a security perimeter at the hotel that the public and journalists were not allowed to cross.
The Israeli soccer federation posted video on X, formerly known as Twitter, showing players getting off the team bus on its way to the airport in Israel to take cover by the roadside, apparently amid nearby rocket fire.
“Nothing will stop us on our way to Euro 2024,” the federation wrote.
It is the first match Israel plays since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and the ongoing war in Gaza. It had originally been scheduled for Oct. 15.
Israel is third in Group I of Euro 2024 qualifying, behind Romania and Switzerland but with two games in hand. It has never qualified for a European Championship since joining UEFA in 1994, and will now have to play four games in 10 days as it seeks to do so.
Kosovo and Israel decided to establish diplomatic ties at a Kosovo-Serbia summit in the United States, held at the White House in September 2020 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kosovo was the first European country, and the first country with a Muslim majority, to establish its embassy in Jerusalem instead of Tel Aviv, following the U.S. and Guatemala.
Israel is the most recent country to have recognized Kosovo after Pristina’s Parliament declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
——-
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Over 1.4 million Honda, Acura vehicles subject of US probe over potential engine failure
- Alarming Rate of Forest Loss Threatens a Crucial Climate Solution
- Kid Cudi says he had a stroke at 32. Hailey Bieber was 25. How common are they?
- Michigan's abortion ban is blocked for now
- More human remains from Philadelphia’s 1985 MOVE bombing have been found at a museum
- Ozone, Mercury, Ash, CO2: Regulations Take on Coal’s Dirty Underside
- Climate Policy Foes Seize on New White House Rule to Challenge Endangerment Finding
- California Makes Green Housing Affordable
- Cameron Brink set to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
- It's definitely not a good year to be a motorcycle taxi driver in Nigeria
Ranking
- Military veteran gets time served for making ricin out of ‘curiosity’
- What's behind the FDA's controversial strategy for evaluating new COVID boosters
- New Hampshire Utility’s Move to Control Green Energy Dollars is Rebuffed
- Nebraska Landowners Hold Keystone XL at Bay With Lawsuit
- Jessica Simpson's Husband Eric Johnson Steps Out Ringless Amid Split Speculation
- Queen Charlotte's Tunji Kasim Explains How the Show Mirrors Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Story
- InsideClimate News Celebrates 10 Years of Hard-Hitting Journalism
- Henry Shaw
Recommendation
-
Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
-
See Bald Austin Butler Debut His Jaw-Dropping Hair Transformation in Dune 2 Teaser
-
Vanderpump Rules: Ariana Madix Catches Tom Sandoval Lying Amid Raquel Leviss Affair
-
Get Your Mane Back on Track With the Best Hair Growth Products for Thinning Hair
-
SNL's Chloe Fineman Says Rude Elon Musk Made Her Burst Into Tears as Show Host
-
10 Senators Call for Investigation into EPA Pushing Scientists Off Advisory Boards
-
Seeing God’s Hand in the Deadly Floods, Yet Wondering about Climate Change
-
Priyanka Chopra Recalls Experiencing “Deep” Depression After Botched Nose Surgery