Euro qualifier: Albania say stones, concrete, coins hurled at players

Tirana A chunk of concrete stones coins and lighters were hurled at Albanias players and officials before and during the match against bitter rivals Serbia that was abandoned amid onfield clashes the Albanian FA said Thursday Albanias assistant coach Altin Lala told a German newspaper he feared for his life during the attacksAlbanias players run for cover during the EURO 2016 clash against Serbia PicAFPWhile both countries blame each other for the violence now being investigated by UEFA Albanian Football Association president Armando Duka demanded a complete and independent inquiry into the events that have further poisoned relations between the countriesAn Albanian FA statement said its team bus had been pelted with stones before the 2016 European Championship qualifier a chunk of concrete was thrown at the delegation and coins lighters and other objects were hurled at players on the pitch The game was halted after a drone carried a proAlbanian flag over the Belgrade stadium on Tuesday night sparking fighting between the two sidesI was afraid of dying Im generally pretty tough but Ive never before seen such hate said Lala in an interview with Bild Even the security services who are supposed to look after maintaining order were hitting us In the tunnel between the changing rooms and the pitch I even saw police hitting our players Serbias foreign minister has called the flag stunt a political provocation by AlbaniaAlbania said Serbian supporters and even police and stadium security had ramped up hostilities The facts are clear the proof is there and we demand above all a complete and independent inquiry into the incidents reported before during and after the AlbaniaSerbia football match Albanian football chief Duka told AFPThe aggressors must be punished by all institutions including Serbian justice he added An Albanian FA statement said the team bus was hit with stones thrown by Serbian fans The Albanian delegation led by Duka was hit with a piece of concrete which has been handed to UEFA for its investigation the statement added At the end of the warmup before the game the Albanian players were hit by a shower of coins lighters and objects as they were making their way to the tunnelThroughout the warmup the crowd shouted Kill the Albanians or Death to Albanians and dozens of Serbian fans poured over fences onto the pitch Throughout the game stones hard objects lighters and flares were thrown onto the pitch and at three players who were trying to warm up as substitutes the statement added Fans hit Albanian players with stoolsThe Albanian FA said that Serbian supporters security stewards and police hit the Albanian players as they left the field when the game was halted Serbias Football Federation has said the drone stunt was political sabotage and that the Albanians refused appeals by the UEFA delegate to carry on playing The federation said fans who invaded the field had only sought to retrieve the flag showing a greater AlbaniaIn a separate statement Albanias foreign ministry denounced a campaign of political slander against the Albanian state and people conducted by Serbian officials We invite Serbian officials to show lucidity and maturity necessary to condemn antiAlbanian acts that have occurred before and during the match and pathological violence on football players of the national team the statement saidSerbias foreign ministry said Wednesday it had delivered a protest note to the Albanian ambassador demanding Tiranas clear condemnation of the incident Serb and ethnic Albanian forces fought a war over Kosovo the mainly Albanian province once under Serbian control which declared independence in 2008The Belgrade government has never recognised the move UEFA has opened a formal probe against the Serbian federation over the crowd disturbances while the Albanian FA faces charges of refusing to play and displaying an illicit banner The case will be heard on October 23 UEFA president Michel Platini described the scenes as inexcusable Imagine if there had been a bomb instead of a flag on the drone Platini told French television channel TF1