by Our Sports Desk

The Serbian FA launched fierce criticism of the Albania team yesterday, claiming their side acted with restraint despite being provoked by the “offensive” flag and were then attacked when they tried to remove it from the field.

Uefa opened disciplinary hearings against both nations, the Serbian FA were charged with a number of offences including the setting off/throwing of fireworks and missiles, crowd disturbance and field invasion by supporters.

The Albianian FA were charged with refusing to play the match and the display of an illicit banner.

The Group I encounter, which went ahead despite long-standing political tensions between the two nations, was initially halted just before half-time by a drone trailing a pro-Albania banner hovering over the the Partizan Stadium pitch.

It is reported that the drone was flown by the brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama but he denies being detained by the police.

In a 1,500-word statement, the Serbian FA said Albania’s reaction to the controversy had been “scandalous” and suggested it had been a “scenario of a terrorist action planned in advance.”

Serbia’s statement said: “Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic managed to catch the flag and, as it can be clearly seen on all the footages, started to fold it as calmly as possible, in order to give it to the fourth official and for the match to be continued. Absolutely all of the Serbian players and officials on the bench were in their seats, calm and without any attempt to show force or rage because of the incident. However, Albanian players acted very aggressively and physically attacked Mitrovic.”

The Serbian FA said it asked Uefa to finish the match after emptying the stadium or to replay it this week but the Albanian FA refused.

It adds: “According to that, we estimate that they are directly guilty for the match abandonment and we expect that Uefa disciplinary bodies will register the match with 3-0 result, in favour of Serbia.

“It is a scandalous fact that the other party, with their ‘job well done’ is ridiculing not only FA of Serbia and Serbian people but also, we dare to say, Uefa.”

Albanian supporters had been banned from entering the stadium by Uefa on safety grounds and the match was set against a backdrop of tight security.

Tensions have never been far from the surface between the nations over Kosovo, the province with which both countries share a disputed border and is recognised as independent by the United States and major European Union countries but not by Serbia — a bone of contention with Albania.

Uefa president Michel Platini labelled the scenes “inexcusable.”

The Frenchman said in a statement: “Football is supposed to bring people together and our game should not be mixed with politics of any kind. The scenes in Belgrade last night were inexcusable.”