Belgrade’s “Sava Center” is the venue for the 49th UEFA Congress, drawing notable figures from the football world.

In attendance are UEFA and FIFA presidents, Aleksander Čeferin and Gianni Infantino, along with legends such as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Arsene Wenger, and Luis Figo, not to mention the head of the Football Association of Montenegro, Dejan Savićević.

The presence of the Montenegrin football legend prompted Infantino to reminisce about 1992, when the Yugoslav national team (which Infantino mistakenly referred to as Serbian in Belgrade) was barred from participating in the European Championship due to sanctions.

“Reflecting on Serbia and its legends, seeing Dejan Savićević here reminds me of the 1992 European Championship and the golden generation from this region. Due to political issues, the Serbian team was prohibited from competing, despite potentially being tournament champions—they had the talent for it,” remarked Infantino.

Denmark took Yugoslavia’s place and unexpectedly triumphed in the Euro, finishing behind the “blues” in the qualifiers.

“Of course, congratulations to our Danish friends, but we must aim for unity, especially in today’s divided world,” added Infantino.

This moment also echoed the current situation, with the Russian football team sidelined from FIFA and UEFA competitions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

“While peace discussions are ongoing in Ukraine, I hope we can soon turn the page and welcome Russia back to the football community. That would signify that conflicts have been resolved. We support and pray for that,” Infantino emphasized.

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