World Cup 2018: Swiss FA back Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri over Albanian Eagle goal celebrations after two-game ban threat

SWISS FA chiefs have backed under-fire stars Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka over their 'Albanian Eagle' goal celebrations.

Fifa announced late last night that the pair had been charged for their gestures in the win over Serbia.

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Serbian FA bosses demanded action after accusing both Swiss scorers of deliberately seeking to inflame their fans in Kaliningrad.

Both Xhaka and Shaqiri come from ethnic Albanian families with roots in Kosovo, now an independent country after a breakaway from Serbia that has still not been recognised by the Belgrade government.

Xhaka was born and raised in Basel after his father left his homeland following imprisonment and torture, while Shaqiri was less than a year old when his family fled persecution.

Fifa declined to elaborate but if Xhaka and Shaqiri are charged with “provocative gestures” they face an automatic two-game ban and a fine of a minimum £3,800.

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That would rule them both out of the final group game with Costa Rica on Wednesday and any last 16 tie.

The decision to charge the two players was a shock to the Swiss FA.

Just hours before the announcement by Fifa, national team general manager Claudio Sulser, the former Swiss striker who was head of Fifa's Ethics Committee until 2012, insisted: "The double-headed eagle celebration was not a political message.

"I'm not even sure if Fifa will intervene, and from my subjective point of view, it's not something that's bad.

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“It's more of an action of affection, and if that's what I think, I do not think Fifa will open a case. "

Sulser added he will speak to both players again today but Swiss FA General Secretary Alex Meischer maintained: "You can not look at it as black or white.

“For me it's not a political signal. We'll see what Fifa does, then we'll see how the whole thing is judged.

“It’s something that is open to an honest opinion. But I cannot imagine, with the best will in the world, that they will be banned, or even charged.”

The gestures sparked a national debate and backlash in Switzerland.

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Natalie Rickli, a leading member of the far-right Swiss People’s Party, slammed the duo.

She said: “I can not really be happy. The two goals have not been scored for Switzerland, but for Kosovo.”

Angry Meischer hit back: “She is a politician seeking publicity.

“She does not share our interests. But I would prefer to live 100 lifetimes in a country where everyone is allowed to say what he or she thinks.”