© EuroFootball.com
The organizers of the European U-19 Football Championship in Lithuania presented an unpleasant surprise to the Serbians in Alytus.
On a hot afternoon, the Alytus stadium was filled with football fans - the European youth championship semi-final match between the national teams of Serbia and Portugal was being played here. The full stadium and lined up players and staff of both teams listened to the Portuguese anthem, and then it was time for the Serbians.
"Please continue to stand, the Serbian anthem will be performed," - announced Vaidotas Rastenis, the stadium announcer.
The first chords of the newly started anthem didn't catch anyone off guard, but later the gathered audience in the stadium started to whistle, and the Serbian players, linking arms over their shoulders, lowered their hands. The faces of the Serbian players showed discontent, with some even shaking their hands, pointing to the Kaunas Forces Orchestra standing far behind them.
It turns out that instead of Serbia, the anthem of the no longer existing Yugoslavia was performed. Journalists sitting in the press box from abroad were truly taken aback. "Was that the anthem of Yugoslavia?" - I asked them. "Yes, that was definitely the anthem of Yugoslavia," - my colleagues answered in unison.
After the orchestra finished playing the anthem and was already leaving the field, the Serbian national team players ran to their reserve bench and, together with all the staff, linking arms over their shoulders in a circle, sang their national anthem.
After the first half, announcer Vaidotas Rastenis publicly apologized for the unexpected absurdity.
A similar incident was experienced by the players of the Lithuanian national football team. In 2008 in the Czech Republic, before a friendly match with the local team, instead of the Lithuanian anthem by Vincas Kudirka, the anthem of Latvia was played.
Video of the incident:
