Crossed hands (gesture)
The crossed hands gesture is a hand signal that denotes Albania in International Sign. Known as duart e kryqëzuara in Albanian, it is sometimes referred to as the "eagle gesture" and is a symbol used by ethnic Albanians in Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and other regions of the world where Albanians live. It is meant to visually illustrate the double-headed eagle, the main image on the Albanian flag. The symbolism of the double-headed eagle among Albanians encapsulates their ethnicity and flag, viewing it as a symbol that represents ethnic-Albanian people across the globe.
This gesture is often performed by players of the Albania national football team to celebrate a goal or at the end of a victorious game. It has also been used by some ethnic Albanians playing for other teams.
This gesture resembles the double-headed eagle on the Albanian flag. It is also associated with Albanian ethnicity where Albanians call themselves as "Shqiptar" and their country "Shqipëri".
In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Kosovo-born Swiss players Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, both ethnic Albanians, performed the gesture in a match against Serbia and were subsequently fined by FIFA "for unsporting behaviour contrary to the principles of fair-play".
