The crossed hands gesture is a hand signal that denotes Albania in International Sign. Known as shenja e flamurit (flag sign) in Albanian, it is sometimes referred to as the "eagle gesture" and is a symbol used by ethnic Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and other regions of the world where Albanians live. It is meant to visually demonstrate the double-headed eagle, the main image on the Albanian flag. The symbolism of the double-headed eagle among Albanians encapsulates their ethnicity and flag, viewing it as a symbol that represents ethnic-Albanian people across the globe. Albanians call themselves as "Shqiptar" (son of eagle) and their country "Shqipëri" (land of eagles).
This gesture is often performed by players of the Albania national football team to celebrate a goal or at the end of a victorious game. It has also been used by some ethnic Albanians playing for other teams.
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Swiss players of Kosovan descent Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka and Swiss player Stephan Lichtsteiner, performed the gesture in a match against Serbia and were subsequently fined by FIFA "for unsporting behaviour contrary to the principles of fair-play". In a similar incident during the UEFA Euro 2024 Championship's Serbia–England match, Kosovar journalist Arlind Sadiku directed the gesture at Serbian fans while on a live broadcast; UEFA revoked Sadiku's Euro 2024 media accreditation pass several days later.
During the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, Greek singer of Albanian descent Eleni Foureira made the Albanian patriotic eagle gesture in a photo with Albanian singer Eugent Bushpepa. The image went viral in Albania and Greece, being well-received in the former but causing controversy in the latter.
References
- ^ Kokobobo, Ani (July 2, 2018). "For Albanians, it's not just an eagle. Here's the deeper story on those World Cup fines". The Washington Post.
- "Shqiponja, simboli i flamurit tonë, me famë botërore, interpretohet dhe në duart e afrikanëve, shoqëruar me "grimca" lumturie në fytyrë". SOT News (in Albanian). 25 May 2015.
- "Festimi me gjestin e "Shqiponjës" kthehet në modë". Gjuha Shqipe (in Albanian). 28 October 2014. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016.
- "World Cup 2018: Fifa investigates Switzerland duo over goal celebrations". BBC News. 23 June 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018.
- Rumsby, Ben (28 June 2018). "Switzerland trio escape bans for Albanian eagle salutes". The Telegraph.
- Lovett, Samuel (25 June 2018). "World Cup 2018: Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri avoid bans after political goal celebrations". The Independent. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- "World Cup Mystery Solved: What was the hand gesture made by the Swiss goal scorers?". sports.yahoo.com. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
- "Albanian Prime Minister opens account to pay Switzerland players' FIFA fines". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- "Euro 2024: Albania most fined nation as matches reignite Balkan feuds". euronews. 23 June 2024.
- "Shqiponja në "Eurovision" tërbon median greke". Gazeta Tema (in Albanian). 2018-05-04. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
| Gestures | |
|---|---|
| Friendly gestures | |
| Gestures of respect | |
| Salutes | |
| Celebratory gestures | |
| Finger-counting | |
| Obscene gestures | |
| Taunts | |
| Head motions | |
| Other gestures | |
| Related | |
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