Albanian and Serbian footballers brawl after banner 'falls from the sky'

Although there were no Albanian fans at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade, where the Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania was played tonight, the match was interrupted due to a brawl among players on the field in the 38th minute, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

A banner depicting a map of Greater Albania was lowered onto the field from a drone, sparking anger among home fans, followed by a physical altercation between players, prompting English referee Martin Atkinson to stop the match and send them to the dressing room.

Dozens of fans ran onto the field, but security returned them to the stands. A large number of special police officers also appeared at the stadium.

It was officially announced that the match would not be played to the end for security reasons. Strong police forces were deployed both inside the stadium and in the surrounding streets.

The score at the time of the interruption was 0-0.

You can watch the video of the moment the banner falls onto the field here, and the video capturing the moment fans run onto the field and the player brawl here.