PARIS, Oct 4 ― The Europa League match between Dudelange and Azerbaijani club Qarabag was interrupted yesterday when a drone carrying a flag from the disputed separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh flew over the pitch.
Play in Luxembourg stopped in the 36th minute with Qarabag leading 2-0 as the drone hovered above the pitch trailing a flag which appeared to belong to Nagorno Karabakh, although that of Armenia is almost the same.
The enclave is, in theory, part of Azerbaijan but has an Armenian majority and most of it has been, in practice, independent following a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which began in 1988 and was halted by a ceasefire in 1994.
Qarabag was originally from the now-deserted city of Agdam in Nagorno-Karabakh but moved to Baku, the Azerbaijan capital, in 1993.
As the drone hovered above the centre circle, Qarabag players attempted to hit it with the football, but their shots were wildly inaccurate.
Play resumed after about 20 minutes and Qarabag scored a third goal before half-time.
This is not the first time the conflict has had an impact on football. In May, Arsenal's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan decided not to go to Baku for the Europa League final, which the Gunners lost to Chelsea last May. ― AFP
