UEFA is investigating the incident, Azerbaijan is demanding that the guilty be punished, Luxembourg is apologizing — this is perhaps the entirely non-sporting outcome of a football match held in Luxembourg within the framework of the Europa League.
The match between local side “Dudelange” and Azerbaijani club “Qarabag” immediately found itself at the center of media attention when a drone carrying the flag of Karabakh appeared over the stadium. “The Azerbaijani footballers were incensed, and within moments the wave of anger reached the spectators, forcing the referee to temporarily suspend the match,” wrote one of the local periodicals, adding: “Although the game was interrupted, the ball continued to fly back and forth, as Azerbaijani midfielder Gara Garayev had unsuccessfully tried to bring down the disputed flag.” After the forced interruption, the match resumed some 15 seconds later. To calm the heated passions, Luxembourg’s sports minister approached the microphone instead of a sports commentator and officially apologized to the guests.
Hours later, “Dudelange” also apologized for what had happened. “We have no connection whatsoever with this provocation and we are clarifying the circumstances,” the football club declared on its official Twitter page.
UEFA also responded to the incident; the organization stated that the match had been interrupted for security reasons, and added: “We await the conclusion of the investigations into this matter to determine whether disciplinary sanctions should be applied against those responsible for the match.”
These official steps, however, have not satisfied Baku. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it had instructed its ambassador in Luxembourg to establish contact with the authorities of that country “to ensure that those responsible for the provocation are identified and subjected to appropriate punishment.”
The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan has also filed an official complaint with UEFA, calling for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The match, which ended 4:1 in favor of the Azerbaijani club, was echoed by almost all leading Western media outlets, which presented the history and motivations of the Karabakh conflict.
