04 October 2019, 23:30

Football fans of the First Armenian Front claimed responsibility for launching a drone with a flag of Nagorno-Karabakh at a stadium in Luxembourg. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Association of Football Federations of the country insist on the punishment of the persons responsible for an incident.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 3 a football match of the Europa League group stage was held between the Azerbaijani "Karabakh" FC and the local "Dudelange" FC. After a drone with a flag of Nagorno-Karabakh appeared over the stadium, the football match was stopped for 20 minutes. The incident did not prevent Azerbaijan from winning with the score of 1: 4.

The football match was resumed after the Luxembourg Minister of Sports voiced the apologies.

"The drone was launched by our guys from Belgium," reports the First Armenian Front/FAF ultras/ on Facebook page.

The incident may provoke the toughest measures of UEFA, believes Zeki Feizullaev, an observer of the "Azerisport.com". "First, the very fact that the drone appeared at the stadium is a serious incident that threatens the safety of football players … Second, the match was suspended for 20 minutes, and that is a resonant incident in the international football, and all the more it took place at such prestigious competitions as the group stage of the Europa League. This is a blow to the prestige of UEFA," said Zeki Feizullaev.

The independence of Nagorno-Karabakh was proclaimed in 1991, but the republic remains unrecognized. The UN confirmed the integrity of Azerbaijan, which considers Nagorno-Karabakh a part of its territories.