The politically-sensitive Euro 2016 qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned following a brawl among players from both sides after a flag stunt. HT takes a look:

HOW THE INCIDENT UNFOLDED The catalyst was bizarre: during a stoppage in play to clear a flare from the pitch, a drone hovered into view above the arena, dangling beneath it a banner with the Albanian flag.

With the crowd provoked into a frenzy, Serbia defender Stefan Mitrovic jumped to catch it as it landed and was immediately set upon by Albanian players. The flag ended up in the hands of striker Bekim Balaj.

Substitutes and officials subsequently entered the pitch, and scenes descended into running fights as a number of supporters gained entry into the pitch. With matters seeming to be calming, more intruders entered the arena and had to be restrained by Serbian players, while fighting continued with objects used as weapons. Eventually, Albania’s players hurriedly exited the pitch via the players’ tunnel, pelted by objects set upon by more invaders. Serbia’s players followed, with riot police flanking the pitch columns several deep, attempting to restore order. THE INSTIGATOR?

Serbian media, and the country’s foreign minister, put the blame on the brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, with some media reporting that he had been arrested in the VIP stands of the stadium with the remote control in his hands. Serbian media said 45-year-old Olsi Rama (above) had managed to get around the ban on Albanian fans thanks to the help of some European diplomats, an accusation that the European Union’s envoy to Belgrade denied in a Twitter post. PLANNED IN ADVANCE? On Wednesday, an Albanian fan group calling itself “The Smugglers” posted pictures on Facebook of a group of men posing with what appeared to be an identical drone, known as a quad-copter.