Brother of Albania PM arrested in Serbia for Greater Albania flag stunt

[Niko777]

Reuters

The politically-sensitive Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned on Tuesday following a brawl between players from both sides after a flag stunt.

The Group I game, with no away fans permitted, was interrupted when a flag depicting so-called Greater Albania, an area covering all parts of the Balkans where ethnic Albanians live, was flown over the terraces and pitch by what appeared to be a remote controlled mini drone near the end of the first half.

A Serbian player eventually grabbed the flag at the Partizan stadium, prompting an angry reaction from Albanian players and an unsightly melee ensued.

Riot police then moved in when around a dozen fans invaded the pitch and attacked the Albanian players, forcing them to retreat into the tunnel as flares were thrown from the terraces.

After a delay of around half an hour, English referee Martin Atkinson abandoned the game, which stood at 0-0.

"What happened is something we can’t comprehend at the moment," Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic told reporters.

"On behalf of my team, all I can say is that we wanted to carry on and that we shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel (after the riot broke out).

"The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match. We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now."

Serbian state television reported that Olsi Rama, the brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, was arrested in the V.I.P Box for instigating the flag stunt.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/10/14/uk-soccer-euro-serbia-brawl-idUKKCN0I32H220141014

VIDEO:

Serbia v Albania suspended after drone drops Albania flag onto pitch - YouTube

[Niko777]

Albanians in Tetovo and Struga head to the streets in support of the greater Albanian map flag

http://www.plusinfo.mk/vest/154428/VIDEO-Incidentot-vo-Belgrad-proslaven-vo-Tetovo-i-vo-Struga

TETOVA FESTON ME FLAMUJ KOMBETAR DHE ME DRIFTE PER KOMBETAREN KUQ E ZI - YouTube

[Gocka]

Just when you think their behavior cant be more idiotic, they surprise you.

First of all why were the Albanian players complaining when the Serbs were pulling down he flag? It was interrupting the game, and it had no reason to be there, let alone the fact that it was an intentional provocation. I keep hearing about all these moderate Albanians but I never seem to actually see any.

Then I watched the video of the Seljaci in Tetovo, I couldn't help but just sit there and say to myself " what the fuck is going on" why are there hundreds of people standing around watching an idiot attempt to do doughnuts (very poorly), chanting and jumping around. It was embarrassing, I cant imagine any person from a civilized country watching that and not asking "wtf am I a looking at and why".

I swear I've never seen such a mindless people, they are like a bunch of baboons, its so easy to get them riled up.

[Gocka]

Later on Tuesday evening, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, on his Twitter page, congratulated Albanian players for their courage before the match was abandoned and added that he was "sorry for the neighbours who left a bad worldwide image with the ugly show."


I swear to god they are all totally fucking delusional. This is the president of a country. The shit they get away with........ I am speechless

[Volokin]

Better video:
Dron i zastava pa tuca na utakmici Srbija - Albanija - YouTube


I think Gocka summed it up pretty well.

This game was always going to extremely heated, even more so if the away fans were allowed, which the Albanian FA wanted. It's not like Mitrovic grabbed the banner and ripped in it half ffs. Goes back to the Albanian thought of constant victimization.

"The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match. We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now."

Lol, special people Albanians are.

[DraganOfStip]

The Serbian minister of external affairs Ivica Dacic stated after the game:
"Something like this has never happenned to any football game before,and this was a previously-planned scenario.The main question for me is how will the EU and UEFA react now,because if someone from Serbia waved the "Greater Serbia" flag in Tirana or Prishtina,the issue would have been raised the very same day in the UN Security council."

[VMRO]

You can clearly see the Albanian player take the flag and run away with it to protect it.

Also, if it was in fact the brother of Edi Rama who organised it, Macedonia and Montenegro should officially send out a protest note.

[Gocka]

What I don't understand is how these people have someone come to the point where they think it is their right to do what ever they want whenever they want an no one has the right to oppose them ever under no circumstances. So they are in BELGRADE, and they some how have the right to waive an offensive flag over the entire freaking field with a robot, but the Serbs don't have the right to take this flag down in their own country, in their own capital in their own stadium. They provoke the situation and then somehow they are the offended ones, and they are unfit to play? If Macedonia did this in Greece, the next day the entire Eu, Nato, USA, you name them, they will condemn us for provocative actions. Why do the Albanians always get a free pass?

It is because they always get a free pass that they continue to be totally obnoxious.

What do the Albanians think the appropriate reaction would have been? For the Serbs to just ignore the flag and continue playing in their home stadium with a greater Albania flag flying above their field?

Worse of all, This little stunt generated the biggest uproar in you guessed it, our little home country. That says more than anything about the kind of people we have living in ROM.

[DraganOfStip]

A great sports gesture by (most of) the Serbian players.

http://ekipa.mk/chesta-goleminata-na-delo-srpskite-fudbaleri-tselo-vreme-gi-shtitea-albanskite/

[Big Bad Sven]

Less then 24 hours after this story broke the albanians are crying to the west and acting like the innocent lol. And the western media is playing along making the albanians as the innocent guys that did nothing wrong:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/15/sport/football/albania-prime-minister-brother/

Is there even any point to standing up to Albanians anymore, seriously? If you try to, and are serb or macedonain, the albanians will cry foul and the western media will make you look like hitler.
The shiptars cant do anything wrong.

How can you be so pro western when you see this double standards shit on a daily basis.

[Philosopher]

If Macedonia did this in Greece, the next day the entire Eu, Nato, USA, you name them, they will condemn us for provocative actions. Why do the Albanians always get a free pass?

The answer is because in the West we are Slavs. And the Albanians and Greeks are not. Think about it. What else explains Western bias in the Balkans? If this event occurred in Greece, and Albanians pulled this same stunt, and the Greeks reacted the same way the Serbs did, this story would probably make very little international headlines, and even if it did, the media would not be so lopsided in its presentation.

The West does not like our people.

[Gocka]

I was actually thinking something similar, I didnt say it but my thought was:

The West see's Russia as its eternal enemy. Yugoslavia was tied to Russia in many ways because of communism. So I think that old dislike of the commies sticks with even younger generations. They see us not as Slavs, but as those Ex communists. They think of us a brothers of the communist Russians, thus everything we do is always wrong. The Albanians have found themselves in the lucky situation that there two biggest opponents, Macedonians and Serbs fall into this category. What they don't know is that although still present that dislike for ex communist's is going away, in a few generations it will be all but forgotten. Sooner or later the little loud puppy that is Albanians wont have big brother to stand behind them while they act tough.

They will eventually have a huge problem on their hands. They have alienated themselves from the whole Balkan, one day it will all be repaid.

The answer is because in the West we are Slavs. And the Albanians and Greeks are not. Think about it. What else explains Western bias in the Balkans? If this event occurred in Greece, and Albanians pulled this same stunt, and the Greeks reacted the same way the Serbs did, this story would probably make very little international headlines, and even if it did, the media would not be so lopsided in its presentation.

The West does not like our people.

[Soldier of Macedon]

After watching the video, I would have to say that the Albanian player who snatched the flag from the Serb initiated the melee. But Serbian supporters shouldn't have invaded the pitch. Neither side can claim to be innocent in this typically Balkan incident, but the Albanians are definitely responsible for starting it.

[Volokin]

Fact is:

1. The person who released the drone did it clearly as a provocation to the Serbs.
2. Mitrovic took down the flag and drone as he should have done.
3. Whether the Albania players had seen what the banner had on it or not, there was no need to run over and start the fight. I don't understand the reaction of the Albanian players who ran over to him, he didn't provoke them. Whether they saw it as a map of greater Albania or just the Albanian flag, he didn't disrespect it regardless.

The Albanians are to blame here, but I can nearly guarantee you will see the Serbs getting punished.

On another note, how the hell was Rama's brother supposed to have deployed the drone with a rather large banner attached, without being seen, in the VIP section? Seems a little odd to me.

[Risto the Great]

Having seen the Youtube comments, it doesn't take long for the odd ventilatored Macedonian to give a calming pat on the back to his much loved Serb brother. It never takes long.

It was pathetic on both sides and (today) I will blame the USA.
Tomorrow I'll blame someone else.