Belgrade, Oct 15 (IANS): The 2016 Euro qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned following a brawl between players from both sides over a drone flown above the Partizan Stadium pitch carrying a pro-Albanian banner.

The Group I game was played Tuesday with no fans of the visiting Albanian team permitted to watch the game, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.

The match 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 pitch by a remote controlled mini drone near the end of the first half.

Serbian player Stefan Metrovic eventually grabbed the flag, prompting an angry reaction from Albanian players and a brawl started.

Police intervened when Serbian fans invaded the pitch and attacked the Albanian players. They were forced to retreat into the tunnel as flares were thrown on to the ground.

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