Serbia bus hit by stones ahead of Albania clash

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, has chose to boycott for a 6-month period Albania’s ambassador to Belgrade, Ilir Bocka.

Serbian media reported that no one was injured in the incident, which occurred on Wednesday night when a teenager threw a stone at the bus carrying the Serbs from the airport to a hotel in Tirana, Efe reported.

“This game seems to have exceeded a simple football match”, Serbian captain Branislav Ivanovic told reporters.

“Within 6 months he will not meet with me or with any other officials”.

Almost 2000 policemen were mobilized to ensure the safety of Serbian visitors and the security in and around the stadium in Elbasan town. Such decision is a non-proportional response.

Albania has stepped up security for the politically-charged match, after their first meeting in Group I in Belgrade was abandoned when a drone carrying a flag depicting “Greater Albania” flew over the stadium and a brawl ensued between players. But they (Albanian police) have guaranteed that this will not happen again.

All tickets carry a message calling for “fair play and respect of the opponents, the rules and the result of the match”.

The battle for second place will continue between Denmark and Albania which has one point les that the Danish team.

Their animosity has roots in Kosovo, a majority-Albanian former province of Serbia that declared independence in 2008, nearly a decade after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation went to war to end the massacre and expulsion of ethnic Albanians by Serbian security forces trying to crush a two-year guerrilla insurgency.