The brother of Albania's prime minister has apparently been arrested in Belgrade, accused of starting the trouble that caused the abandonment of the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania, Serbian state television RTS reports.
RTS cited the Serbian Interior Ministry saying that Olsi Rama, from his seat in an executive box in the stadium, controlled a drone carrying a 'Greater Albanian' flag which flew over the pitch triggering clashes between the two teams as some of the 20,000 home fans tried to assault Albanian players.
The incident, in the 41st minute of the Group I encounter at which Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic was also in attendance, led to its abandonment with the score at 0-0.
Serbian fans hurled smoke bombs and other missiles onto the pitch in protest in a game from which Albanian fans had been barred.
"We wanted to continue the match, but Albanian players said they were not psychologically ready," Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic said.
Albania captain Lorik Cana said he and his teammates were hit by objects thrown from the stands and Albania's Italian coach Giovanni de Biazzi said four players were injured. "We also complained (to the UEFA delegate) that security staff in the stadium attacked us physically, as well as fans and some players," he told Albania's Supersport private TV channel. The drone, clearly visible in the lights of the stadium, made a series of passes above the pitch.
The banner displayed an Albanian flag and a map of so-called "Greater Albania," an area that comprises territory within today's Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and northern Greece.
The banner also portrayed two Albanian nationalist leaders - Ismail Qemali, who declared Albania's independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912 and Isa Boletini, an Albanian fighter against the Turks.
The incident comes just days before the highly sensitive visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama next Wednesday, the first such visit in 68 years.
Rama's visit to Serbia became possible after the normalisation of bilateral relations was sealed in April 2013 in an agreement brokered by the European Union.
A source close to Rama denied that his brother had been arrested in Belgrade.
The Albanian Interior Ministry said it had been watching the events unfold anxiously and had been in contact with the staff of their counterparts in Belgrade to transmit a message from their interior minister Saimir Tahiri.
"The Serbian Government is responsible for the security, the life and health of the footballers and the Albanian delegation," Tahiri said in his message.
Relations between Tirana and Belgrade have been fragile over the mainly ethnic Albanian former Serbian province of Kosovo and the ethnic Albanian minority in southern Serbia, who often demand more autonomy.
In Belgrade, some see Tirana's interest as part of a plan aimed at creating a "Greater Albania" that would unite Albanian communities in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and southern Serbia.
Kosovo's independence has been recognised by more than 100 countries, including the United States and most European Union member states.
The premature and violent end to Tuesday's game was greeted with joy by nearly 5,000 Kosovar Albanians who gathered to watch in the Kosovo capital Pristina, shouting 'Greater Albania' and 'victory'.
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