UEFA has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate Austria striker Marko Arnautovic’s reaction to his goal against North Macedonia.
And should a racist element be proven in his celebrations, Arnautovic could be banned from the rest of the tournament.
The former Stoke and West Ham frontman, who is currently playing his football in China with Shanghai Port, was restrained by skipper David Alaba as he gestured angrily after scoring late in Sunday’s 3-1 Group C victory in Romania.
When you’ve just scored for #AUT at @Euro2020 – and clearly want to get something off your chest…
What did you make of this Marko Arnautovic celebration? ¿¿#ITVFootball | #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/5yBCyWxcjo— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 13, 2021
He allegedly made a racial slur following his late strike, saying ‘I’m f***ing your Albanian mother’ in the direction of Ezgjan Alioski, according to Koha.
A UEFA statement said: ‘In accordance with the Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding the incident involving the player Marko Arnautovic that occurred during the 2020 European Championship group-stage match between the national teams of Austria and North Macedonia on 13 June 2021.
‘Further information on this matter will be made available in due course.’
The incident came in the 89th minute of the game at the National Arena in Bucharest when, after beating North Macedonia keeper Stole Dimitrievski, Arnautovic, who is of Serbian heritage, appeared to make comments towards opposition players and then turned towards spectators.
Reports have alleged his initial remarks were aimed at defender Egzon Bejtulai and Gjanni Alioski, who both have Albanian roots.
The reason for the slur appears to relate to the Kosovo War, in which Serbia and Albania came into conflict over the Kosovo region. Arnautovic, whose father is Serbian, came to blows with Alioski, who can speak Albanian.
