Serbia's 1-0 defeat to Albania in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers has sparked widespread reactions in the Serbian public. One of the first to publicly react was the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who described the defeat as "heavy and disappointing". In a statement to Serbian media, Vučić said that the Serbian national team's defeat had affected him emotionally and had left him sleepless at night.
"We were not a well-prepared team. We are disappointed. It was a very difficult loss. I could not sleep out of sadness, not out of anger like some others. There are people who only know how to produce anger. But what have we really done for the national team?", declared Vučić.
The Serbian head of state also focused on the hospitality that, according to him, Serbia had offered to the Albanian national team during the match held on Serbian territory. He emphasized that everything had been in order and that the Serbian state had shown fairness and respect towards its opponents.
"Did we have everything? Yes. We were good hosts for the Albanians, everything was fine. That's what we did. I found myself rightly criticizing, but did I support those people? Even though I went to the stadium, I didn't applaud. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was tired. For me it was more important to rest after a long day than to support the team," Vučić said.
However, despite the criticism and expressed disappointment, the Serbian president stressed that his love and dedication to the Serbian national team remain unwavering.
"I love the Serbian national team and I regret that I was not there to show my love for our flag. When I was a child, I cheered with all my heart, especially when we lost 3:0 or 4:0. I was the loudest then," Vučić concluded.
