Drone Breaks Up Euro Qualifier

((HT: Sport Central))

This might be the next step in hooliganism- the HQ is still trying to figure out if this move below was a genius one-off or the beginning of something that could get infinitely more dangerous over time.

Serbia and Albania were going at it in the first half of their Euro 2016 qualifier when someone got very ingenious with their attempt at game interruption. This, folks, was no black lab...


When you wave an Albanian flag in Belgrade, it's the equivalent of waving something in a bull's face in the ring.

UEFA had banned Albanian fans from being in the building, so someone decided to fly the drone. The Albanian flag had a map of Kosovo and the message 'autochthonous', meaning indigenous- drooping from the craft.

That's when players and fans all got into it. Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic pulled the flag down and that act seemed to start it.

The political background for all of this dates back to 1999 when NATO had an almost three-month long air war to stop the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Serbian forces. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but this is not recognized by Serbia. Adding to that, seven of Albania's squad were born in the Kosovo region.

The match was abandoned and may not have been a good idea in the first place.

According to Reuters, the brother of Albanian Prime Minister was arrested in the V.I.P Box and was found with a remote.

'He was arrested on suspicion that he masterminded and executed the incident in which a flag with a map of greater Albania was flown over the pitch and the terraces, after which the match between Serbia and Albania was abandoned."

Now Contador Is Out of Le Tour

((HT: NBCSN/TdF))

After defending champ Chris Froome crashed out of the Tour de France in Stage 5, it seemed that it was wide open as to who could take the yellow jersey.

Now, it's even more so as 2-time champ Alberto Contador has crashed out of Stage 10


Anyone...???
Anyone...???

Defending Champ Froome Crashes Out Of Tour

((HT: TdF/NBCSN))

Chris Froome should have just been called "Schleprock" for everything that went down in the last two stages of the Tour de France. He crashed in the sunshine in Stage 4 and crashed himself out of the race this year with two wrecks in Stage 5.

NBCSN recaps his quick tour of the Tour...


Today's Stage 5 was the first time in ten years or so that the race got the cobblestone streets in muddy conditions that resemble the Paris-Roubaix section from older times. Cobblestones are one thing, but the muddy, slippery cobbles are an entirely different animal entirely.

But to have it happen this early is huge...

The favorite for the remainder of the race is anyone's guess...

Russian Premier Game Abandoned, Fan Takes Swing At Captain

((HT: The Score/HQ Football240))

Here's a good way to get a match abandoned- a court storming
In the 88th minute, fans from Zenit St. Petersburg came onto the pitch with their team trailing Dynamo Moscow 4-2


And the long version


Watch one of the Zenit ultras (the shirtless guy wearing the black gloves) try to take a swing at Dynamo captain Vladimir Granat


Andre Villas-Boas is in charge at Zenit, but apparently that's only on the pitch. And their title coronation imploded thanks to their own fans. The team is one point ahead of the Russian Premier table with two games left.

Spanish Soccer Team Refuses To Play Over Unpaid Wages

((HT: BBC Sport))

Racing Santander players refused to play over, what they say, are months of unpaid wages and forced their Copa del Rey quarter-final against Real Sociedad to be abandoned.

Sociedad won the first leg 3-1 and the winners are supposed to play Barcelona.

Racing players released a statement on Monday saying they would boycott unless president Angel Lavin and his board stepped down... as of right now, they have not...

Here's how it looked at the opening kick...
((HT: HH2489))


Pretty wild scene, but the fans and players support each other at Santander...

Bully for them...

Brooks Peck and the folks over at Dirty Tackle have some background on the Santander situation and a link to an article that Sid Lowe over at ESPN wrote about how the owners have screwed their players...

Lowe's piece is a great read...