An international soccer match between Serbia and Albania has been abandoned after banned fans flew a drone carrying an Albanian flag over the pitch – and sparked a riot among players and the crowd.
English referee Martin Atkinson had to abandon the match following the incident in the Euro 2016 qualifier, which now threatens to cause a diplomatic incident in the already tinderbox conditions of the Balkans.
Albanian fans were already banned from the match in Serbia because of the threat of trouble. The flag being carried by the drone had an outline map of Kosovo, the disputed former Yugoslav republic where ethnic Albanians have long fought a battle for independence from Serbian control.
In extraordinary scenes, play was stopped as the drone flew around the pitch. Then Serbian striker Aleksander Mitrovic grabbed the flag, prompting Albanian players to spark something of a brawl among almost all the players of both sides.
Martin Atkinson called the players off the pitch, and then half an hour later abandoned the game when it became apparent attempting to continue would spark further unrest.
It was the first time Albania has played Serbia – or its predecessor Yugoslavia – since 1967. The score was 0-0 when the match was abandoned just before half time.
source: YouTube