New Serbia-Albania match on neutral ground

BELGRADE - The abandoned European championship qualifier between Serbia and Albania will most likely be played again on neutral ground, the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti learns from a source close to the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

Novosti reported in its Friday issue that if UEFA decides that a new match will be played between Serbia and Albania, it would start from scratch, and not from 41st minute when the match was abandoned because of the incidents.

According to Novosti's findings, UEFA is most likely to decide that the two national teams should meet in completely different circumstances, without audience, so as to reduce the room for new incidents to a minimum.

UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings against the football associations of both Serbia and Albania, and confirmed earlier on Friday that the decision on the outcome of the match and possible punishments will be delivered by its three-member commission on October 23.

The Football Association of Serbia has faced the proceedings for the setting off/throwing of fireworks and missiles, crowd disturbance, field invasion by supporters, insufficient organization and use of a laser pointer, and the Football Association of Albania for refusing to play and the display of an illicit banner.

The European championship qualifier between Serbia and Albania in Belgrade on Tuesday was abandoned after a brawl that followed the appearance of a drone with a banner depicting the so called Greater Albania, a nationalist project that would include parts of Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia and Greece.

Serbian officials stated on Wednesday that this was a serious political provocation and an attempt to cause unrest in Serbia and...