Vucic: We expect apology over incident

ATLANTA/BELGRADE - Serbia will remain a true pillar of stability in the Western Balkans, and nothing can compromise this, Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told U.S. television channel CNN commenting on the incident which took place at a football match between Serbia and Albania on Tuesday evening.

This was a severe provocation. I do not know who could benefit from this, but it is a fact that officials were the only supporters of the Albanian team at the match, Vucic said.

He said that this case is very clear, adding that in this incident he does not see any mistake by the Serbian side.

Vucic also posed a question how the world would react if something similar happened in Albania, namely if the Serbian side waved a flag of Greater Serbia in that country.

I hope that we will manage to overcome this situation, the Serbian prime minister said, stressing that the Serbian side expects a profound apology from the Albanian side that caused the incident.

CNN aired Vucic's statement as part of the report on the match between Serbia and Albania where the incident occurred.

The incident took place on Tuesday evening when a flag with the insignia of 'Greater Albania' appeared over the pitch, sparking further incidents, which caused the match to be abandoned.

Serbian footballer Stefan Mitrovic caught the flag and two Albanian players rushed to try and snatch it from his hands.

This sparked a brawl between players, officials and substitutes from both teams, and several supporters who broke onto the pitch, prompting English referee Martin Atkinson to suspend the match and lead the players off the field.

Not a single official in Pristina and Tirana condemned this provocation....