City
Epaper

French Prez apologises over Albania national anthem mix-up

By IANS | Updated: September 9, 2019 11:10 IST

French President Emmanuel Macron has sent an apology message to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for a national anthem mix-up ahead of a football match on Saturday evening.

Open in App

"President Macron expressed his sincere apologies for the scandalous gaffe of the French Football Federation, with our anthem of National Flag! He called it an 'unacceptable mistake'," Rama posted on Twitter.

According to Rama, in his message the French President appreciated the reaction of Albania's national football team players and asked Rama to make his apology public, reports Xinhua news agency.

The wrong anthem was played for the Albanian team before the European Qualifier match kicked off in State de France in Paris on Saturday evening.

The Albanian football fans and players were expecting to hear their national anthem called "Himni i Flamurit" (National Flag) prior to the start of the game, but the national anthem of Andorra was played by mistake by the organizsers, which puzzled the Albanian players.

To make things worse, when the Albanian national anthem was about to play the stadium announced that "please respect the Armenia national anthem".

The match was delayed by seven minutes in the end.

Another public apology was offered by the coach of France, Didier Deschamps, who confirmed this at a press conference after the match.

Albania lost 1-4 against the French national team. On Tuesday, Albania will play against Iceland in central Albania's Elbasan Arena stadium.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: AlbaniaState De FranceNational Flag
Open in App

Related Stories

CricketIndian Flag at Gaddafi Stadium: Pakistani Fans Seen Carrying Tricolour During PAK vs NZ ODI Match in Lahore; Pic Goes Viral

MumbaiMumbai Flower Festival 2025: 5,000 Plants to Feature in Three-Day Event from January 31

MumbaiRepublic Day 2025: Who Will Hoist the National Flag in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Other Districts? Check Details

NationalManmohan Singh Passes Away: National Flag Draped Over Mortal Remains of Former PM at Delhi Residence (Watch Video)

NationalJammu and Kashmir Assembly Election 2024: Amit Shah Declares Upcoming Assembly Polls 'Historic' Under National Flag and Constitution

फुटबॉल Realted Stories

FootballTom Aldred signs one-year contract extension with Mohun Bagan Super Giant

FootballSAFF U19 Championship: Bangladesh and Nepal cruise into semi-finals

FootballBarcelona defeat Real Madrid 4-3 in another Clasico

FootballVictorious starts for Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh in Swami Vivekananda U20 Men's NFC

FootballA dream come true to score in front of family: Local boy Omang Dodum