Latvia’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia in Riga was billed as a politically charged contest — and it proved just as tense off the pitch as on it.
For the country’s most dedicated supporters, the Latvia Ultras group, Saturday’s match at Daugava Stadium was one of the highlights of the year. They staged a corteo march from a city bar to the ground, complete with smoke, chants and a mosh pit, before unveiling visual displays inside the stadium. Banners in Latvian and Ukrainian colours carried anti-aggression messages, while another showed a symbolic creature being trampled.
The Ultras also raised a smaller protest banner reading “LFF Mafia”, criticising the Latvian Football Federation (LFF) over ticket prices and once again voicing frustration at Daugava Stadium being used instead of the more intimate Skonto. Despite some tensions with seated home fans in nearby sections, the group maintained their sector was run on their own terms.
Meanwhile, reports had surfaced in local media claiming that Serbian fans were barred from entering the stadium with their national colours because they resembled the Russian flag. The LFF issued a firm denial, stressing that such claims were “completely untrue.”
The federation explained that under both UEFA regulations and its own stadium rules, visiting team colours can only be displayed in designated away sections. In this case, Serbia had been allocated up to 2,400 seats in the C stand — more than the 5% minimum required — but the Serbian FA (FSS) informed LFF in advance that no travelling supporters would be attending and declined to request tickets.
The LFF statement pointed out that Serbia’s flag was prominently displayed on the big screen, on the team bench, and during the national anthem, contradicting suggestions it had been banned. The federation also noted that FSS had faced over €700,000 in UEFA and FIFA fines since 2021 due to fan behaviour, which it suggested could explain their decision not to send an official contingent to Riga.
Despite that, Serbian supporters were present in small numbers around the stadium, spread across home sections and without organised fan gear. The LFF acknowledged this was regrettable, as those fans were not grouped together in a safe, designated zone.
The Ultras, however, insisted their displays and protests had delivered “important messages” in what they called a principled duel against Serbia.
