Albania will play its final Group C1 match in the Nations League in an empty stadium. The November 15 match in the Hungarian capital Budapest against Belarus will be played without spectators, as a result of UEFA's punitive measures against the Belarusian federation.
The Albanian national team will end its UEFA Nations League group stage campaign in a completely different atmosphere than the one that usually accompanies its matches. The match against Belarus, scheduled for November 15 at the “Illovszky Rudolf” stadium in Budapest, will not have the presence of fans in the stands.
The decision also directly affects the red and black supporters, who will not be able to travel to Hungary to follow the national team closely in this transfer. Even though the match will not take place on Belarusian territory, the stadium will remain closed to the public.
UEFA sanctions, the reason why the stadium will be empty
The restriction is related to the measures imposed by UEFA against Belarus. According to the decision of the European organization's Executive Committee, adopted on March 3, 2022 and still in force, Belarusian clubs and national teams must play their home matches on neutral grounds.
But the measure is not limited to changing the venue of the matches. The decision also stipulates that these matches will be played without spectators. For this reason, the match against Albania in Budapest will also be played behind closed doors.
So, despite Belarus formally being the host team in a stadium outside its borders, fans will not be allowed into the facility.
A transfer without the support of the red and black fans
For Albania, this means that the final match of Group C1 will take place without the atmosphere that fans usually create on the stadium steps. Red and black supporters will not be able to be near the team in Budapest, due to the restriction that applies to all matches where Belarus is the host.
The Rossoneri will aim to end the Nations League group stage on a positive note, but this time without the direct support of the public in the stadium. The November 15 match will therefore not only be the last transfer in Group C1, but also an unusual match due to the empty stands.
