Wrote: Fatbardh Dema
Information portal "kosova-sot.info" published on Wednesday (March 25) the article titled "Slovakia bans fans with Kosovo passports from entering stadiums".
What's wrong with this title?
After fact-checking conducted by hibrid.info, it was confirmed that the headline does not correspond to reality.
Only after clicking on the article does the news become clear. The content explains that the Slovak Football Federation has decided to ban Kosovo citizens from entering the domestic fan sections for the play-off match between Slovakia and Kosovo, which is expected to take place on Thursday night in Bratislava as part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
So, the title of the article published by "Kosova-sot.info" implies that it is about banning entry to the stadium for all fans with Kosovo passports.
On Tuesday (March 23), the news portal “gazetaexpress.com” reported that fans with Kosovo passports can only enter the away fans’ section, which the organizer is obliged to allocate and reserve, after the Slovak federation made a decision banning Kosovo citizens from entering the home fans’ sections. (see here)
"Gazetaexpress.com" made this report based on an announcement, which was reportedly made by the Slovak Football Federation.
Translation of the announcement into Albanian
"The Slovakia-Kosovo qualifying match (March 26, 2026, 20:45, Bratislava) has been qualified by the organizers as a match under special regime. When you purchased your tickets, you were asked to provide the details of each ticket-buyer, who will actually be present at the match. Only the first and last name will appear on the ticket. The details provided during the purchase will be automatically printed on the ticket."
“We would also like to remind you that entry to all sectors, except the away supporters sectors (D201,D202,D203,D204), is reserved for home team fans. Persons carrying items or wearing clothing with flags of other countries, inappropriate symbols, or offensive messages may be denied entry to the stadium (entry to the home section with a Kosovo passport is not permitted). Please note that the exclusive ticket sellers are SFZ and “XL entertainment sro”, and we do not recommend purchasing tickets from third parties.”
Analyze
The portal "kosova-sot.info" has published an incorrect headline implying that fans with Kosovo passports are prohibited from entering the stadium for the Slovakia-Kosovo match.
After verifying the facts, it turns out that the ban on fans entering is not general for the entire stadium. The content of the news explains that the measure applies only to the sectors of local fans, while fans with a Kosovo passport can enter the sectors dedicated to guests, which are reserved by the organizer for this category.
So, in this case there is a discrepancy between the title and the content of the article.
Therefore, based on the working methodology, hibrid.info evaluates the article as "Clickbait".
rationale
“Clickbait” is considered to be informational content whose title is general and does not disclose the location of the event, context and relevance. Such texts and articles aim to attract the attention of the audience with sensational headlines with misleading consequences, which do not accurately clarify the content of the article. “Clickbait” headlines are mainly made to attract readability in the case of media publications and/or to earn from clicks in the case of commercial publications.