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Serbia – Albania match abandoned due to drone

Football match abandoned due to drone.
Football match abandoned due to drone.
Referee Martin Atkinson abandoned the match Serbia – Albania due to a drone that flew over the pitch with an Albanian flag. That caused a massive brawl on the pitch after which Martin Atkinson ended the game.

A reporter from The Guardian described the situation like this: “In the 40th minute, the English referee Martin Atkinson halted play – for a second time – after flares had been thrown from the crowd in the direction of Albanian players. At the same time, a drone –seemingly remote-controlled – was seen hovering above the pitch, parallel to the top of the stand, before falling towards the pitch 15 yards into the Serbian half. The ‘Greater Albania’ insignia referred to the notion of an extended area in which all ethnic Albanians reside – one that would include Kosovo.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1j7mxMwm98

And this is what happened after the drone has landed. Total chaos and fans on the pitch. Luckily nobody who attacked the referee. Martin Atkinson walked safely in the the tunnel to the dressing rooms in video below at 2m45sec.

Match abandoned due to drone

Serbian player Ivanovic said after the match: “We wanted to continue the match, but Albanian players said they were not psychologically ready.”

What would you do when a whole teams says they are not psychologically ready to play? That could also be after one of their teammates broke a leg or has gone off with a headache in an ambulance – things more likely to happen at your matches.

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