LONDON (AP) — Serbia received tougher sanctions than Albania when UEFA punished the Balkan rivals on Friday for the on-field violence sparked by a banner being flown by a drone over the stadium.

The European Championship qualifier in Belgrade was abandoned last week after an Albanian nationalist banner was flown in by a remote-controlled device, sparking fighting among players and fans.

Although the source of the banner remains unclear, UEFA on Friday ruled that Albania forfeited the Oct. 14 match because its players refused to return to the pitch amid the disorder. UEFA's disciplinary body awarded Serbia a 3-0 win, but docked the three points gained by a win.

Serbia was also ordered to play its next two Euro 2016 qualifiers behind closed doors without fans, starting with next month's game against Denmark, as a result of crowd disturbances and fireworks and missiles that were set off during the Albania game.

The Serbian and Albanian federations were each fined 100,000 Swiss Francs ($105,000). Both criticized UEFA's verdict.

The Albanians expected the game to be awarded to them as a victory and are planning to appeal. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama complained there was "no justice" from UEFA and backed the football federation "to open a legal battle to the end."

Despite being awarded no points from the game, Albania remains tied with Denmark on four points in the leading positions in Group I. Serbia has just one point after playing twice, the same as last-place Armenia.

Albania coach Giovanni de Biaisi criticized UEFA for denying his team "what we deserved on the pitch," and federation president Armand Duka said he was "disillusioned."

"I do not understand what precedent this may set when a squad physically beats the opposing players on the pitch," Duka told private TV station Ora-News. "I do not know if there is a greater scandal than this."

Before a planned emergency session of the Serbian federation on Friday, vice president Goran Milanovic told the private Beta news agency: "I'm not happy with the decision."

This is the latest chapter in decades of friction between Serbia and Albania, mainly over Kosovo, a former ethnic Albanian-dominated Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Serbia has never accepted Kosovo's independence.

UEFA deemed that because there is no ongoing conflict between Serbia and Albania they should not be separated in qualifying like Armenia and Azerbaijan, who have a territorial dispute, and Gibraltar and Spain, who are at odds over the sovereignty of the British territory.

In Albania's first match in Belgrade since 1967, the visiting national anthem was loudly jeered by Serbian fans and derogatory chants were heard throughout. Serbian supporters also threw flares and other objects at Albanian players.

The drone that set off the disorder carried a banner showing a so-called map of "greater Albania" including Greece, Macedonia and Serbia. A Serbia player pulled the banner down, while Albanian players tried to protect it. Fans hurled broken seats and other objects, and attacked Albanian players, who fled to the dressing room and refused to return.

As it stands, Albania will be hosting Serbia in the return match on Oct. 8, 2015 in the penultimate game in qualifying for the Euro 2016 finals.

Denmark is unhappy that its fans will be excluded from the match in Serbia on Nov. 14 as a result of UEFA's sanction.

"Looking ahead, we will focus our efforts so that the Danish fans who have already bought a trip to Belgrade before the UEFA sanctions will not be affected by the spectator ban," Claus Bretton-Meyer, head of the Danish football federation said in a statement.

Bretton-Meyer said he will contact the Serbian federation and UEFA to push for Danish fans to be allowed access to the game and offer assurances about the safety of the visiting players.

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Associated Press writers Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, and Jan Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.moultonadvertiser.com/sports/national_sports/soccer/article_8f2a5551-6dc3-52c0-9f81-e46587ab37d3.html

For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still shit like always.

For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still **** like always.
Anyway it's 1 one match in Albania in 2015,I can't imagine what will be there...

For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still **** like always.
Anyway it's 1 one match in Albania in 2015,I can't imagine what will be there...Maybe if we attack Serbia players,and use racism words like ''kill Serbs'' etc,we will get 3 points like Serbia today!

For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still **** like always.
Anyway it's 1 one match in Albania in 2015,I can't imagine what will be there...Maybe if we attack Serbia players,and use racism words like ''kill Serbs'' etc and make 100 other problems,we will get 3 points like Serbia today!

For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still **** like always.
Anyway it's 1 one match in Albania in 2015,I can't imagine what will be there...Maybe if we attack Serbia players,and use racism words like ''kill Serbs'' etc and make 100 other problems,we will get 3 points like Serbia today!In those days,Football it's all about politics

Well,incredibly shameful decision by UEFA approving Serbia's racism,pitch invasion and attacks on players!
For me,this is the worst decision by UEFA.I can't say any word,to explain this.Platini and Uefa still **** like always.
Anyway it's 1 one match in Albania in 2015,I can't imagine what will be there...Maybe if we attack Serbia players,and use racism words like ''kill Serbs'' etc and make 100 other problems,we will get 3 points like Serbia today!In those days,Football it's all about politics

Called it. Both sides are punished.

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are pretty inconsistent, but this case was never one-way.

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never one-way.

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never one-way.

If anyone could tell me, was there a specific game where a national team lost points automatically due to racist comments by the fans?

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never one-way.

If anyone could tell me, was there ever a specific game where a national team lost points automatically due to racist comments by the fans?

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never going one-way.

If anyone could tell me, was there ever a specific game where a national team lost points automatically due to racist comments by the fans?

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never going one-way.

Called it. Both sides are punished. With "racism"-punishments, UEFA are sometimes inconsistent, but this case was never going one-way.

Albanian provocation. Check. Serbian racist comments and overreaction to the toy drone. Check.

Albania have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Serbia in a reversal of a Uefa decision made after a European Championship qualifier was abandoned.
Crowd trouble following the appearance of a drone with a pro-Albanian banner had forced the October tie in Belgrade to be called off before half-time.
Uefa had given Serbia a 3-0 walkover.But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled it was the reaction of the home fans and stadium stewards that had caused the abandonment after an appeal.
CAS said it was "the security lapses of the organisers and acts of violence exerted on the Albanian players by the Serbian fans" that had forced English referee Martin Atkinson to call off the match.
Uefa had already deducted Serbia three points and ordered them to play their next two qualifiers in an empty stadium, while both countries were also fined £72,000.
The decision leaves Serbia bottom of Group I on minus two points, while Albania now have 10 points from their first four qualifying matches and are joint-second with Denmark. Portugal top the group with 12 points.

1. Portugal, 12 Points
2. Denmark, 10 Points
3. Albania, 10 points
4. Armenia, 1 Point
5. Serbia, -2 Points

LATESTAlbania have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Serbia in a reversal of a Uefa decision made after a European Championship qualifier was abandoned.
Crowd trouble following the appearance of a drone with a pro-Albanian banner had forced the October tie in Belgrade to be called off before half-time.
Uefa had given Serbia a 3-0 walkover.But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled it was the reaction of the home fans and stadium stewards that had caused the abandonment after an appeal.
CAS said it was "the security lapses of the organisers and acts of violence exerted on the Albanian players by the Serbian fans" that had forced English referee Martin Atkinson to call off the match.
Uefa had already deducted Serbia three points and ordered them to play their next two qualifiers in an empty stadium, while both countries were also fined £72,000.
The decision leaves Serbia bottom of Group I on minus two points, while Albania now have 10 points from their first four qualifying matches and are joint-second with Denmark. Portugal top the group with 12 points.

1. Portugal, 12 Points
2. Denmark, 10 Points
3. Albania, 10 points
4. Armenia, 1 Point
5. Serbia, -2 Points