A remote-control drone started a riot and caused referees to cancel a pivotal soccer game between Albania and Serbia Tuesday in Belgrade. Albanians had been banned from attending as visiting fans, but are credited with flying a drone into Partizan Stadium that held the Albanian flag, a map of Kosovo, and the phrase “autochthonous,” which means “indigenous.”
Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic yanked the flag from the drone. This led to a bench-clearing brawl between teams and chaos in the stands.
Serbia-Albania Euro match suspended after drone carrying flag flies over stadium, brawl erupts https://t.co/HnRj6B8Beq pic.twitter.com/Haprhz81GH
— National Post Sports (@npsport) October 14, 2014
Football is meant to be fun, not war… #Serbia #Albania pic.twitter.com/S7xkknSGuI
— Sp. Anderlecht news (@Sporting_AND) October 14, 2014
We knew political tensions were in place for Tuesday’s Euro 2016 qualifier. Kosovo gained independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbs still consider it an extension of their country—even though it is more than 50 percent Albanian (hence the “indigenous” slogan). Serbia blocked out 2,000 or so tickets for Albanian fans but on the provision that each ticketholder submit his or her name, address, and passport number; that notion quickly fell apart.
As for the drone itself, it costs about $762 and was reportedly a Phanton II.
Screengrab via YouTube
