Albanian prime minister’s brother ‘arrested’ after violence stops Euro 2016 qualifier
The brother of Albania’s prime minister was arrested in Belgrade on Tuesday night, accused of starting the trouble that caused the abandonment of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania, Serbian state television RTS reported.
RTS cited the Serbian Interior Ministry as saying Olsi Rama controlled a drone, from his seat in an executive box in the stadium, carrying a “Greater Albanian” flag which flew over the pitch.
A Serbian player eventually grabbed the flag at the Partizan stadium, prompting an angry reaction from Albanian players and an unsightly melee ensued.
I saw my players being attacked and hit even inside the tunnel, and even by the stewards
Riot police then moved in when around a dozen fans invaded the pitch and attacked the Albanian players, forcing them to retreat into the tunnel as flares were thrown from the terraces.
After a delay of around half an hour, English referee Martin Atkinson abandoned the game, which stood at 0-0.
“On behalf of my team, all I can say is that we wanted to carry on and that we shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel [after the riot broke out].
“The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match. We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now.”