TIRANA, Jan. 9 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport has decided to hear the appeals from Albania and Serbia, which are challenging the UEFA sanctions imposed upon them after a European Championship qualifying match which was abandoned after a drone with a political banner flew into the stadium and fans attacking Albanian players.
The CAS said it had not set a date for the hearing yet.
”Albania and Serbia seek to annul the UEFA decisions or … reduce the sanctions that were imposed,” the court said in a statement.
UEFA ordered Albania to forfeit the match because team officials refused to send players back out to play in a hostile atmosphere in Belgrade. Albania does not accept that, saying they were never asked officially to turn back and they could not return at a pitch where their lives could be endangered.
Serbia was deducted three points despite the 3-0 default win. UEFA also ordered Serbia’s next two Euro 2016 home qualifiers to be played in an empty stadium.
UEFA also fined both federations 100,000 euros ($118,000).
The Oct. 14 match was stopped before halftime when a drone carrying an Albanian nationalist banner hovered above the field. Players clashed over the banner and Serbian fans attacked Albania team members. Firecrackers and other hard objects were thrown against Albanian players before, even before the drone, urging the referee to question whether it was worth continuing the match.
The Balkan countries are scheduled for a return match in Albania on Oct. 8.
Serbia already served one match of its empty-stadium sanction. It lost to Denmark 3-1 in November and next hosts Armenia on Sept. 4.
Albania is in third place, which guarantees at least a spot in the playoffs. The Albanians have four points from three matches, three ahead of fourth-place Serbia.
