Qarabag match with Dudelange delayed as drone draped with Armenian flag flies overheard – infuriating Azerbaijani players
DUDELANGE’S clash with Qarabag was delayed tonight after a drone draped in an Armenian flag flew over the centre-circle.
Azerbaijani players in the Qarabag team were left infuriated with the gesture and tried to kick balls at the drone to cause it to crash.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at war over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988.
The match at the Stade Jos Nosbaum, Luxembourg, was delayed for nearly 20 minutes as officials tried to get rid of the drone.
Attempts by players to kick balls at the flying robot proved very unsuccessful.
The long conflict, on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan, has claimed more than 40,000 lives and left millions displaced.
Full-scale fighting took place in the early 1990s before a Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994.
Since then, there have been continued skirmishes, clashes and sporadic fighting over the border.
The most recent fatalities came in September 2018.
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Qarabag were leading the game 2-0 at the time of the stoppage and went on to score another.
The conflict and lack of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan caused then-Arsenal star Henrikh Mkhitaryan to miss the Europa League final last season.
The game was played in Azerbaijani capital Baku and Armenian star Mkhitaryan said he did not feel safe travelling to the country.