LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Xherdan Shaqiri has been left out of Liverpool's squad for a Champions League match against Red Star Belgrade in Serbia for political reasons.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Shaqiri won't play on Tuesday over fears the Kosovo-born forward would get a harsh reception in Belgrade because of his Albanian heritage, and because of a political gesture he made when he scored against Serbia at the World Cup.
Shaqiri is Swiss and plays for his country's national team but was born in Kosovo, the former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008.
Shaqiri and Switzerland teammate Granit Xhaka celebrated goals in a 2-1 win over Serbia at the World Cup in Russia by making a double-headed eagle gesture with their hands, an Albanian nationalist symbol. Both players were fined by FIFA for the gestures.
Klopp says "we have heard and read the speculation and talk about what kind of reception Shaq would receive and although we have no idea what would happen, we want to go there and be focused 100 percent on football and not have to think about anything else."
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