LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) " The Serbian soccer federation has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Kosovo being accepted as a member of UEFA. In May, UEFA member federations voted 28-24 in favor of Kosovo's application after Serbia led the opposition to its former province. The then-president of Serbia's federation, Tomislav Karadzic, said it was a "political vote, not a footballing proposal." The UEFA decision allowed Kosovo to join FIFA the next week and be fast-tracked into 2018 World Cup qualifying. Serbia and its allies, including Russia, have refused to recognize Kosovo as a state since the Balkan republic declared independence in 2008.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 28, 2016 13:07 UTC