What Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri's controversial celebrations meant - and why they could be punished
The pair could land themselves in trouble for the celebrations due to the political connotations attached to them
Granit Xhaka's and Xherdan Shaqiri were both delighted in getting on the score sheet in Switzerland's dramatic 2-1 win over Serbia on Friday.
The duo wheeled away in elation and, upon first glance, appeared to pull off some rather harmless hand gesture to commemorate the moment.
But in reality there is a deeper meaning to what the gesture actually means, as our friends over at football.london have explained.
Switzerland's squad has a diverse make-up with a number of players holding dual nationality or having roots elsewhere.
Shaqiri for example wore boots donning both the Swiss and Kosovan flag. As he noted: "I was born in Kosovo, but I grew up in Switzerland. I live both mentalities, it's not a big difference."
However, such connotations are not quite as simple as that when you consider that Kosovo is not recognised as independent from Serbia by the nation, and the appearance of such a flag could be considered provocative.
Both Shaqiri - who speaks Albanian - and Xhaka formed their hands into what is generally considered to be an eagle - the symbol of Albanian flag.
The Arsenal midfielder is the younger brother of Taulant Xhaka who plays for Albania and was actually born in Serbia to Albanian parents.
Serbia's relationship with Albania is problematic in itself and perhaps especially so for Xhaka.
In 2014 when Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama met with Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic in 2014, for the first meeting of it's sorts since 1947, tempers arose as the Albanian PM said that Kosovo's independence was 'undeniable' and was consequently accused of provocation.
With the undertone of angst between Albanian/Kosovan ancestry and Serbia, the relationship only becomes more poignant when you consider the midfielder's father spent three and half years imprisoned for taking part in demonstrations against Serbia's communist government during the 80s.
On Instagram Xhaka made the connection to his celebration very clear.
A second image said 'We did it bro' with an image of both Xhaka's and Shaqiri's celebration side by side.
The pair could land themselves in trouble for the celebrations however due to the political connotations.
FIFA rules state that players will be punished for such statements made in celebration.
