A football match between Serbia and Albania was suspended when a drone with the Greater Albanian flag was flown over the pitch and the terraces at the Partizan Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia. The match was suspended by British referee Martin Atkinson in the 41st minute in the first half due to the chaos and the scuffle that ensued.

The flag of “Greater Albania” is based on the idea of conquering lands where Albanian people have lived beyond the borders of Albania, these include Kosovo and the Presevo Valley in Serbia, part of southern Montenegro, a region of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and a huge chunk of Northwestern Greece. The drone also included two nationalist figures that historically had helped pursue Albania’s enlargement.

Seeing the flag, Serbian national team player Stefan Mitrovic reacted and made a grab for it as two Albanian players tried to prevent him from doing so. This led to chaos and scuffles in the entire stadium.

No goals had been scored when the match was suspended. Fans threw flares on to the field when the match was resumed later, forcing it to be called off again.

Following an investigation into the incident, it was found that the instigator of the incident was Olsi Rama, the brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who was reportedly arrested in the VIP box following the match. The Serbian newsagency reports that the arrest was on suspicion for creating the incident that caused the match to be abandoned.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said that the incident was “a political provocation” that was masterminded in advance.