Serbian Bus Stoned Ahead of Tense Albania Football Match

Thursday’s match in Elbasan, central Albania, is being policed by more than 2,000 officers, with extensive road closures and security checks.

A bus carrying the Serbian football team was pelted with stones in Tirana despite heavy security deployed in the Albanian capital ahead of Thursday’s clash against Albania in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. “I most strongly condemn the hooligan attack by Albanian supporters on our football players and I demand from the Albanian authorities to ensure full safety to all Serbian citizens who attend this sports event before, during and after the match”, Vucic said in an e-mailed statement.

“We know that there is tension, that all eyes are on this game, that a few want to turn it into something that is not football”, Serbia’s captain and Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic said. Police in Albania have arrested a man who claimed to have flown a drone carrying a nationalist banner over a stadium in Serbia previous year during a European qualifier, in an incident that prompted fan violence and a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

Though never charged over the incident, Morina had been banned from Thursday’s tie but he posted a picture of a ticket on his Facebook page.

The countries have disagreed over Serbia’s majority-Albanian former Kosovo province, which declared independence in 2008.

Under pressure from Brussels, Serbia and Albania have worked to normalise relations, with both aspiring to join the European Union.

Morina, 33, had made headlines over the drone stunt, for which he was hailed by a few as a “national hero”.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić added to the tense atmosphere preceding the match as he declined Rama’s invitation to attend.

Authorities in Belgrade said the drone flight was a “premeditated political provocation”, but Albania argued the trouble started before then, when Serbian fans chanted “Death to Albanians” and “Kill Albanians”.

With Serbia eliminated and their opponents still in the fight for qualification, Albania coach Gianni De Biasi said his players were focused on trying to win the game.

Albania are a point behind Denmark in the second and final automatic qualifying position but the latter only have one game remaining away to group leaders Portugal, who only need one more point from two games to book their place in France. “Due to our bitter rivalry, we also want to make it hard for them to qualify for Euro 2016”.