North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski condemned xenophobic chants during the basketball match between North Macedonia and Romania. The match took place on Saturday in Kumanova.

After laying the foundation stone for a new sports hall at the “General Mihajlo Apostolski” barracks, Mickoski spoke to reporters. He said both the Basketball Federation and Kumanova Municipality had condemned the chants and xenophobic attacks by some people in the arena.

“To be honest, I didn’t notice it at the time. It came from a small group of people. However, I want to join the condemnation of nationalism and xenophobia. This applies first to what happened at the North Macedonia–Romania game. Second, I want to send a message to all supporter groups. They should cheer in a sporting manner. They should support their team and national squad,” Mickoski stated.

He repeated that he absolutely condemns the xenophobic and nationalist chanting by some individuals. These people did not have support from anyone else in the arena.

Sports Minister Borko Ristovski also appealed against such chants. He said they have no place in North Macedonia. He added the Ministry of Sports can only educate and appeal.

“We will start by educating fans and supporter groups across the country. Everyone has the right to support their team and national squad. Still, incidents like this are unacceptable. They must not happen,” Ristovski said.

He also said the event’s organization was partly correct. However, some unnecessary political moments arose. The opposition tried to exploit these. Still, all of this harms the country. It damages how North Macedonia is seen at home and abroad.

Political parties also condemned the unacceptable chants. These happened during Sunday’s basketball match between North Macedonia’s national team and Romania’s squad in Kumanova.

Meanwhile, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Kumanova said it has opened an investigation. It sent orders and instructions to the Kumanova Police Department. They will look into criminal elements linked to hateful chanting. These came from unknown individuals during the match between North Macedonia and Romania.

/a.p./