Serbian police claim to have discovered earlier today the drone that interrupted and subsequently led to the abandonment of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania due to crowd violence in Belgrade two days ago.
The drone was last seen in the hands of a Serbian fan, and will be investigated to determine its origins, particularly where it was manufactured and purchased and who could have been controlling it, according to a statement by chief of Serbian police Nebojsa Stefanovic given on Thursday.
The four rotor drone, which was carrying a flag of the conceptual and controversial state of ‘Greater Albania’, sparked massive fights across the stadium that forced riot police to step in to protect the Albanian national team and to disperse fights among the supporters present.
UEFA has since charged both the Serbian and Albanian football associations for violent conduct including the throwing of fireworks, crowd disturbance, and pitch invading.
‘Greater Albania’ is an Albanian-proposed conceptual state encompassing Albania, Kosovo, and parts of Serbia.
Since the independence of Kosovo, a former Serbian province in which the majority of people are of Albanian ethnicity, considerable political turmoil has ensued, with Serbia refusing to recognise Kosovo’s autonomy.
Albania and Serbia’s next Euro 16 qualifying fixtures are against France and Denmark on the 14th and 15th of November respectively.
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