A fundraising campaign to help pay the fines levelled at Switzerland’s Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri by FIFA following their World Cup win over Serbia has reached over $14,000 in less than 24 hours.The 2-1 win over Serbia in Kaliningrad on Friday created significant controversy due to the way Xhaka and Shaqiri celebrated after scoring their goals. The players, who have Albanian and Kosovan heritage, made what appeared to be an eagle symbol with their hands that seemed to mimic the emblem on the Albanian flag.
FIFA decided not to suspend the players but fined Xhaka and Shaqiri CHF 10,000 (£7,637) each, and Stephan Lichtsteiner CHF 5,000 (£3,820) for his part in the celebrations. A GoFundMe page was set up on Sunday by an individual in New York and has already reached more than half its target of $25,000. The page says Shaqiri and Xhaka “brought joy and happiness to all Swiss and Albanians across the globe. “If the Swiss Football Association does not accept the funds raised, we will gladly donate all the money to a charity of their choosing.”