UEFA’s appeals commission to decide in December on Serbia-Albania brawl

TIRANA, Nov. 11 – The Albanian Football Federation, or FSHF, said that UEFA’s Appeals Commission will convene Dec. 2 to decide on the match between host Serbia and Albania that was abandoned after physical clashes on the pitch.
Albania played in Belgrade Oct. 14 for the Euro 2016 Group I qualifier with Serbia.
In Albania’s first match in Belgrade since 1967, the visiting national anthem was loudly jeered by Serbian fans and derogatory chants were heard throughout. Serbian supporters also threw flares and other objects at Albanian players.
While the English referee was deciding if the match was worth continuing due to those acts, a banner showing a so-called map of “greater Albania” was flown in by drone. A Serbian player pulled the banner down, while Albanian players tried to protect it. Fans hurled broken seats and other objects, and attacked Albanian players, who fled to the dressing room. The match was 0-0 at the 41st minute when it was abandoned.
Some days later UEFA’s Ethics Commission gave almost identical sanctions to both teams that also both denied to accept them and appealed. Although the source of the banner remains unclear, UEFA ruled that Albania forfeited the Oct. 14 match because its players refused to return to the pitch amid the disorder. UEFA’s disciplinary body awarded Serbia a 3-0 win, but docked the three points gained by a win.
Serbia was also ordered to play its next two Euro 2016 qualifiers behind closed doors without fans, starting with next month’s game against Denmark, as a result of crowd disturbances and fireworks and missiles that were set off during the Albania game.
The Serbian and Albanian federations were each fined 100,000 Swiss Francs ($105,000). UEFA’s verdict was criticized by both countries, further inflaming ethnic tensions in the Balkans.