Xhaka 'relaxed' as Kosovan fans boo Cats midfield star

Granit Xhaka has responded calmly after being booed during Switzerland’s 1-1 draw with Kosovo - a result that secured his nation’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

- by Sport Reporter

Xhaka was born in Basel in 1992 to an Albanian family from Besianë, Kosovo. His family moved from Kosovo to Switzerland in 1990. Because of those roots, fixtures involving Kosovo have always carried extra personal significance for the Sunderland midfielder.

That backdrop made the reaction inside the Fadil Vokrri Stadium all the more striking, with sections of the Kosovan crowd jeering Xhaka throughout the match.