Serbia v Albania (UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying)

Serbia v Albania (2014)
The Partizan Stadium in Belgrade hosted the match
EventUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
Group I
Matchday 3
Serbia Albania
0 3
Match abandoned at 0–0 after 42 minutes
Albania awarded 3–0 victory[note 1]
Date14 October 2014 (2014-10-14)
VenuePartizan Stadium, Belgrade
RefereeMartin Atkinson (England)
Attendance25,200
WeatherClear
20 °C (68 °F)
73% humidity

A UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match involving the national association football teams of Serbia and Albania took place on 14 October 2014 at Partizan Stadium, in Belgrade, Serbia. The match was abandoned after several incidents of hooliganism took place both on and off the field. Serbian fans had chanted "Ubij, ubij Šiptara" (Kill, kill the Albanian),[1] and threw flares and other objects on the pitch. At that point a drone quadcopter carrying an Albanian nationalist banner with an image of Greater Albania appeared on the pitch.[2][3]

During an interruption of play, Albanian players rushed towards a Serbian player, Stefan Mitrović, who had brought down the banner from the drone attempting to remove it. Conflict arose when Bekim Balaj ran over and took the banner. This triggered a pitch invasion by Serbian fans and security stewards, who proceeded to attack some of the Albanian players, four of whom sustained minor injuries.[4] In addition to attacks by Serbian fans, the Albanian side claimed that their players were also attacked by stewards and riot police.[5] This was denied and a counter-claim of provocation was made by Serbian officials.[6]

On 24 October 2014, UEFA awarded Serbia a walkover against Albania, with Serbia deemed to have won the match 3–0, on the grounds that Albania had been at fault for refusing to resume the match. Serbia was, however, given a three-point deduction, and ordered to play its next two homes games behind closed doors. In addition both teams were fined €100,000.[7] The decision was appealed by both Serbia and Albania,[8][9] but the decision was upheld by UEFA.[10] Both associations then filed further appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport,[11] and on 10 July 2015, the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeal filed by the Football Association of Serbia, but upheld in part the appeal filed by the Albanian Football Association. The CAS ruled that the match abandonment was caused by "security lapses of the organizers and acts of violence exerted on the Albanian players by the Serbian fans and at least one security steward", and therefore reversed the result, awarding a 3–0 victory to Albania. The points deduction to Serbia, fines, and order to play Serbia home games without a crowd were left intact.[12]


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  1. ^ "Nga ndeshja Serbi-Shqipëri fitoi UEFA" [UEFA won from the Serbia-Albania match] (in Albanian). Shqiperia.com Shekulli. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2017. Në vend që të përqëndroheshin tek thirrjet raciste të 30 mijë njerëzve që bërtisnin "vrisni shqiptarët", i thanë publikut se një flamur hodhi në erë gjithë takimin.
  2. ^ "Qualifier in Serbia abandoned because of drone carrying Albanian flag". ESPNFC.com. 14 October 2014.
  3. ^ Ames, Nick; Ibrulj, Saša (14 October 2014). "Serbia v Albania abandoned after players and fans brawl on pitch". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Four Albania players were said to be injured after Euro 2016 qualifier was abandoned following mass brawl".
  5. ^ "Albania claim their players were assaulted by fans, stewards and police in Belgrade at the now-infamous Euro 2016 qualifier against Serbia which was abandoned after the violent scenes".
  6. ^ Matic, Jovan (15 October 2014). "Serbia condemns Albanian flag drone stunt". Sports Yahoo. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Disciplinary decision on Serbia-Albania match". UEFA.com. 24 October 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  8. ^ AFP (24 October 2014). "Albania to appeal UEFA punishment over Serbia". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Serbia to appeal UEFA decision". Goal.com. 24 October 2014.
  10. ^ "Decisions upheld for Serbia-Albania match". UEFA.com. 2 December 2014.
  11. ^ "The football associations of Albania and Serbia file appeals at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS)" (PDF). tas-cas.org. Court of Arbitration for Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  12. ^ "FOOTBALL: The CAS rejects the appeal filed by the Serbian FA, upholds in part the appeal filed by the Albanian FA: the match Serbia-Albania is deemed to have been forfeited by Serbia (0-3)". Tribunal Arbitral du Sport / Court of Arbitration for Sport. 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.