The European Qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned in the first half following a extraordinary incident involving a drone-cam which resulted in a brawl between players from both sides.

The Group I game in Belgrade was interrupted when an Albanian flag, superimposed onto a map of Kosovo – a hugely inflammatory political statement in the Balkans - was flown over the terraces and pitch by what appeared to be a drone-cam.

Serbia striker Aleksander Mitrovic eventually grabbed the flag, prompting a melee involving numerous players.

Riot police then moved in when around a dozen fans invaded the pitch and players were ordered off by Premier League referee Martin Atkinson.

After a delay of around 30 minutes the match was abandoned.

It was the first time Albania have played in Serbia since 1967, and away fans were banned from attending what was already a hugely charged match.

The match was locked at 0-0 when it was abandoned. Chelsea defender and Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic said his team wanted to carry on playing, and that the decision to stop the match was ultimately taken by the Albanians.

"What happened is something we can't comprehend at the moment," he said. "On behalf of my team, all I can say is that we wanted to carry on and that we shielded the Albanian players every step of the way to the tunnel (after the riot broke out).

"The Albanian team said they were unfit physically and mentally to carry on after talking to the officials and they will now decide the fate of this match. We can only regret that football took a back seat but it is difficult to draw any conclusions or make any comments now."

UEFA match delegate Hari Bin said: "It is a regretful situation on which we will report; the referee, myself and the security advisor. The circumstances were such that we couldn't continue the match.

"You all saw what happened and I cannot comment on who is to blame or what to blame. I will submit a report with my colleagues to UEFA and UEFA will decide what will happen further."

The match was held against a backdrop of simmering Serb-Albanian tensions over Kosovo, a majority-Albanian former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008.

NATO waged a 78-day air war in 1999 to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Serbian forces fighting a two-year counter-insurgency war. Serbia does not recognise Kosovo as independent.