In the introduction of my speech, I would like to point out that I have no problem with whether or not a football player sings the anthem of Macedonia, while it is being sung in anticipation of the matches of the European Championship.

It is a personal matter and has nothing to do with the value of a player, his commitment to the game, his commitment on the field and the joy he feels after each goal scored in the national jersey. Both those who sing it and those who are silent on the intonation of the anthem, play beyond their capabilities in every national team match, not sparing their strength and form, risking their club career.

Football is the most popular sport on our planet and will not and must not have anything to do with politics, it would be foolish to serve as a basis for one's national identity and it is very wrong if we try to compensate for failures in economy, education and health policy with sports results. . I have nothing against someone's patriotic feelings, but the one who thinks that patriots should play in the national team, not football players, then he knows nothing about football and sports in general.

Leaving the footballers alone, with a great desire for them to achieve the best possible result in the future, I would only add that the members of the Austrian team, which plays more naturalized footballers, sang the anthem of their country from the first to the last. Alaba, Kalajdzic and Dragovic sang about the mountains and rivers of Austria, along with Baumgartner, Bachmann and Schlager. But it is a success of the Austrian state and its long-standing policy of minority inclusion and has nothing to do with the players.

And what is it that bothers the Albanians in the anthem of Macedonia? I ask the question because these days there is a debate on social networks on that issue, and the status that most aroused my attention is that the anthem is not inclusive for Albanians, so that they can sing it.

All right, the Macedonian anthem does not mention the Albanians, nor the other minorities in the country. But the "Sun of Freedom" shines for all Macedonians, Albanians, Turks, Roma, Vlachs, Serbs, and the homage to the Krushevo Republic, which in its short existence establishes international respect in the modern Macedonian state. Goce Delchev, Pitu Guli, Dame Gruev and Sandanski are figures from the history of the Macedonian people, but their revolutionary activity should not offend anyone.

I do not think that if some verses are taken out of the anthem, it will become more acceptable to minorities, nor if the names of other heroes are added, it will become more inclusive. The inclusiveness of minorities and peoples is not in the words and melody, but in the attitude of the state towards its citizens, who feel safe in the legal and social system and in the country in which they live, they see the future of their country.