BELGRADE, Serbia — A 2016 European Championship qualifier between Serbia and Albania was abandoned on Tuesday after skirmishes broke out involving players and fans over an Albanian flag that was flown above the stadium by a drone.

English referee Martin Atkinson interrupted the match in the 41st minute when one of the Serbia players managed to grab the flag and Albania players tried to protect it. Several Serbian fans invaded the pitch and clashed with Albanian players. The score was 0-0 at the time.

The match was later abandoned “due to a disturbance on the pitch”, according European football’s ruling body, UEFA.

Albanian fans had been banned from attending the match between the two Balkan rival nations that have had turbulent relations — mainly over the former ethnic Albanian-dominated Serbian province of Kosovo that declared independence in 2008.