Why was the European Cup qualifying match between Serbia and Albania interrupted?

On October 14, 2015, the match between Serbia and Albania in Group I of the 2016 European Cup qualifiers was halved due to riots in the 41st minute of the first half. Eventually, a drone flew onto the pitch flying an Albanian flag opposing Serbian control of Kosovo, triggering a series of clashes between players and fans.

Due to historical reasons, Albania and Serbia have had a long-standing dispute. Because of the Kosovo issue, the relationship between the two countries has always been sensitive and tense. In this European Cup qualifier, the two teams were placed in the same group, which also put the security work of the game under great pressure. Before the game, Serbia stated that it would refuse Albanian fans to watch the game live because they could not guarantee the safety of the visiting team fans.

In the first half of the game, the competition between the two sides was very fierce. Some fans even said on social networks that they seemed to be seeing not a football match, but MMA (competitive fighting). In the 41st minute of the game, a remote-controlled aircraft suddenly flew into the field, flying a flag of Albania's opposition to Serbia's control of the Kosovo region. Then the Serbian players tore down the flag. This move immediately aroused dissatisfaction among the Albanian players, and conflicts broke out on the field. The Serbian fans at the scene were also excited, and some radical fans even rushed into the field to participate in the fight. A qualifying match directly turned into a riot.

Serbian police were subsequently deployed to maintain order at the scene, and players from both sides were forced to leave the field. As the situation on the field could not be controlled, the game was declared cut in half. According to reports, the mastermind of the flag incident may be the younger brother of the Albanian Prime Minister. He has been arrested on suspicion of remote control of the aircraft.

This riot caused an uproar in world football, and UEFA also announced the final punishment results. First, the UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Committee believed that Albania voluntarily gave up the game during the game, so it sentenced Serbia to a penalty. Won 3-0, but due to riots at Serbia's home court, Serbia was deducted 3 points. In addition, fans were also prohibited from entering Serbia's next two home games in the European preliminaries, and the Serbian and Albanian football federations were fined 100,000 euros each.